Major boost for Airbus Broughton as three Middle Eastern Carriers place orders for 142 planes

Three of the Middle East`s leading airlines have signed deals with Airbus at the first day of the Dubai airshow that will go on to secure thousands of jobs at Broughton.

Airbus A330 complete with Manchester City Promotional livery

Etihad has placed the largest of the three orders with a deal struck for 87 A350 XWB, A329neo and A330 aircraft.

James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of UAE based 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.

Flagship A380

Dubai-based carrier, Emirates Airline, has placed an order for 50 A380s flagships, taking their total order to 140 and confirming the continued strong demand for very large aircraft in the Middle East.

The order was signed at a ceremony at the 2013 Dubai Airshow with His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Emirates Airline Group Chairman and Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President and CEO.

HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group said:

“The A380 continues to be the flagship of our fleet and after five years in operation it remains highly popular with our passengers. It is still one of the most efficient aircraft to operate today in terms of fuel burn and emissions per passenger, and it gives us the flexibility in some cases to meet passenger demand in slot-constrained markets. This latest order will help us meet both fleet expansion and fleet replacement needs.”

UK Business Secretary Vince Cable said:

“From nose to tail, the Airbus A380 is a good example of great technology designed and manufactured in the UK. This major new order protects over 2,500 jobs in Filton and Broughton and will also be welcome news for the many thousands more workers employed by companies who supply smaller parts to the aircraft from across the UK.

“The British aerospace industry is a global leader, second only to the United States. This is one of the UK’s major success stories. That’s why we have invested over £2 billion with industry in a new Aerospace Technology Institute, developing new cutting edge technology that will help us build faster and greener aircrafts in the future. And securing major new contracts like the Airbus A380 will ensure they benefit from the latest innovation and technology as we develop it.”

Qatar Airways has placed a firm order for five new Airbus A330-200 Freighter aircraft in an agreement signed at the Dubai Airshow 2013.

These new aircraft will complement the airline’s rapidly growing network, which includes more than 40 routes that have dedicated freighter services.

Included in the order are eight additional A330-200F options – which would make today’s deal potentially worth over $2.8bn at list prices for a total of 13 aircraft. These aircraft on order will complement three A330-200Fs Qatar Airways already operates since earlier this year.

The reported value of all three deals is in the region of £33bn