Paris Air Show day 1 orders

The first day of the Paris Air Show has ended and it's time for a recap of the new orders that have been announced. A few deals were already known and were firming of previously communicated orders. Examples of these deals are the firming of Boeing B777Xs by China Airlines and Airbuses and Boeings by ANA. In our updates, we will only focus on newly announced orders.

In the real tradition of the show, Airbus always saves orders for the show, and the first day was no exception with only Airbus being the large manufacturer to unveil new deals.

Saudi lessor AviLease has placed a firm order for 30 Airbus A320neo-family aircraft and 10 A350Fs. The deal also includes options for twelve additional A350Fs as well as for 25 A320neo-family aircraft. Deliveries are scheduled to run between 2030 and 2033.It's expected that the A350Fs will be leased to a new national Saudi cargo carrier, that will be the replacement for Saudia Cargo and will also serve Riyadh Air with dedicated freighter capacity.

Talking about Riyadh Air, the new Saudi airline has also decided to expand its widebody-fleet with the Airbus A350. It has signed a firm order for 25 A350-1000s with options on another 25. No delivery timeline has been communicated. Riyadh Air is set to launch operations in December of this year and now has orders with Airbus, next to its new A350s, for up to 60 A321neos, as well as with Boeing for up to 72 B787s.

The final order announced on the first day of the Paris Air Show was by LOT Polish Airlines, which placed its first ever Airbus-order. After a fierce battle between Airbus and Embraer, the airline has signed a firm order for 20 A220-100s and 20 A220-300s. The airline also took options on 44 additional A220s. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2027 and LOT will use its new Airbuses to replace its current regional fleet of five Embraer ERJ170s, fifteen ERJ175s, eight ERJ190s, and sixteen ERJ195s.

Illustration by Airbus.