Asian carriers lift Singapore Airshow deals to new high

Singapore Airshow organisers today announced a record high of more than USD 32 billion in deals as Asian carriers ordered more aircraft to meet explosive demand for cheap, short-range travel.
European manufacturer Airbus accounted for nearly half of the total, with almost USD 15 billion worth of orders for its popular A320 single-aisle plane and flagship A380 superjumbo.
The total figure beats the previous record of USD 31 billion set during the 2012 edition of the biennial event, and was more than triple the USD 10 billion spent in 2010.
It is Asia's largest combined aviation and defence show, with more than 1,000 exhibitors from 47 nations participating.

Trade days ended today and the exhibition will be open to the public over the weekend.
Emerging Asian carriers were the stars of the airshow, forging deals that underscored the region's importance as the growth driver of global aviation.

Jimmy Lau, managing director of Experia Events which organised the airshow, predicted an "upward trend" for smaller aircraft plying domestic routes.
"The people who will be likely making good inroads are (firms such as) Embraer and Bombardier who will be selling their regional jets to countries like Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia," Lau said during a press conference.
Airbus received its first order of the year for the double-decker A380, the world's biggest passenger plane, when British-based leasing firm Amedeo signed a USD 8.3 billion deal for 20 of the aircraft.

The purchase agreement put Airbus on track to meet its target of 30 orders for the A380 in 2014.
Airbus had suffered some setbacks last year with the discovery of cracks on some of the giant jetliners' wings.
Airbus also won an order for 63 A320 jets worth USD 6.4 billion from fledgling Vietnamese budget carrier VietJetAir.
Apart from the firm orders, the deal covered rights for VietJetAir to acquire or lease 38 more A320s, potentially boosting its current fleet of 11 tenfold.
Airbus also used the event to showcase the new generation A350-XWB wide-body aircraft to Asian buyers. It is on track to come into service at the end of the year.

US rival Boeing secured a commitment from Thai budget carrier Nok Air to buy 15 single-aisle B737s worth USD 1.45 billion.
Myanmar's national carrier Myanma Airways signed a deal to lease 10 Boeing 737s that will ply international routes as the once-reclusive country opens up further to the outside world.
Brazilian manufacturer Embraer sprang a surprise when it announced a firm order for 50 of its E-Jets E2 aircraft worth USD 2.94 billion from Indian carrier Air Costa, which began operations only in October last year.