Airbus pulls in first orders even before Paris Air Show starts

Airbus SE said it signed orders for 60 A320 narrowbody aircraft and 10 A350 widebodies from undisclosed customers, flexing its sales muscle ahead of the Paris Air Show that’s resuming on the company’s home turf after a four-year hiatus. 

The sales, which include accords with leasing companies, will be added to the June tally, Chief Commercial Officer Christian Scherer said at a press briefing in Paris, where he was flanked by Airbus Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury and other senior managers. 

Scherer said the air show, the biggest industry event and a venue where customers place large purchases, will produce more widebody agreements, as the segments shows a robust rebound from the coronavirus slump. Some analyst have estimated that Airbus might pull in more than 2,000 orders and commitment at the expo, which starts on the outskirts of Paris on Monday. 

Airlines and leasing companies are rushing to place orders as travel rebounds and delivery times grow longer. The race to increase output has been hampered by supply-chain bottlenecks, which Faury said he expects to continue for a long time.