Etihad bestelt 50 A350 en 36 A320neo op Dubai Airshow

We zijn op de redactie van Up een uurtje nadat de eerste order bekend werd begonnen met te berichten hierover. De orders vliegen je echter zo om de oren dat het niet bij te houden is. En niet een paar kleine vliegtuigjes hier en daar, nee enorme orders van de grotere type vliegtuigen.

Net werd bekend dat Etihad niet alleen 82 Boeing widebody vliegtuigen bestelt, maar ook nog eens 87 Airbus toestellen. Alsof je warme broodjes aan het verkopen bent.

Etihad Airways bestelt 50 A350 XWB’s, 35 A320 neo’s en één A330-200F.

Van de A350 worden 40 van het type -900 besteld en -1000. De A320 family order is verdeeld in 26 A321neo’s en 10 A320neo’s. Een beetje het zielige broertje is de A330, waar er 1 van wordt besteld. Alsof het niks is, maar wel een toestel van 211 miljoen dollar.

James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said, “Ten years ago this month, we celebrated our inaugural flight from Abu Dhabi using an Airbus A330.
“A decade later, we have grown into one of the world’s leading airlines and the importance of Airbus to our fast-growing operations has never been stronger. We have more than 60 Airbus aircraft in our fleet today, and this latest order is testament to the continued strength of our partnership.
“As one of the first airlines set to receive the much-awaited Airbus A350-1000, we look forward to benefiting from its operational efficiencies and cost savings.”

Airbus zegt het volgende over de toestellen:
The A350 XWB (Xtra Wide-Body) is an all-new mid-size long range product line comprising three versions. The new Family, whose fuselage cross-section is optimized to accommodate Airbus’ 18-inch economy seat-width for long range passenger comfort, will also bring a 25 percent step change in efficiency compared with existing aircraft in this size category. Scheduled for entry-into-service in 2014, the A350 XWB to date has already won 764 firm orders from 39 customers worldwide.
The A320neo is offered as an option for the A320 Family and incorporates new more efficient engines and large “Sharklet” wing tip devices, which together will deliver up to 15 percent in fuel savings. At the end of October 2013, firm orders for the NEO stood at 2,487 from 44 customers, making it the fastest selling commercial airliner ever and underlining its market leadership position.
The A330-200F is the all-freight version of the best-selling A330 Family. It is the world’s most modern mid-size freighter and can carry 70 tonnes of payload with a range capability of up to 4,000nm. To date, Airbus has won more than 1,280 orders for the various versions of the A330, with over 1,010 aircraft currently flying with more than 100 operators worldwide.