Airbus nets $25 billion of Farnborough plane orders

FARNBOROUGH, United Kingdom, July 15 (AFP): European aircraft maker Airbus won orders for its passenger planes from leasing companies worth about $25 billion at the Farnborough airshow on Tuesday, far outpacing its US rival Boeing.
Airbus won memoranda of understanding for its new long-haul A330-900neo, which was launched at Farnborough on Monday, as well as a major contract from Japanese aircraft leasing company SMBC Aviation Capital.
It sealed a sale also with a Bank of China leasing company -- helping to bring Airbus' total orders for the day to about $25 billion (18.5 billion euros).
Among Boeing's orders was a $3.9 billion deal to sell planes to US group Air Lease Corporation.
SMBC Aviation Capital meanwhile said it had signed an order for 115 single-aisle A320 Airbus planes costing $11.7 billion.
"This new order is the industry's largest ever single firm order by a worldwide leasing company for single-aisle aircraft," SMBC said in a statement.
"This is a landmark order for SMBC Aviation Capital and indeed for the wider aircraft leasing industry, and I am delighted to be continuing the close and long-standing relationship that our business enjoys with Airbus," said SMBC chief executive Peter Barrett.
BOC Aviation, the Singapore-based aircraft leasing subsidiary of Bank of China, announced an order for 43 A320 planes worth $4.1 billion at Farnborough.