Airbus inks more orders

Wednesday was a busy day for Airbus A320 purchases, with 43 orders valued at $4.2 billion announced at the 15th Aviation Expo China in Beijing, and another $10 billion memorandum of understanding announced outside the expo. The $10 billion deal is with Vietnam's VietJetAir, which signed a MoU for 42 A320neo, 14 A320ceo and six A321ceo, plus 30 purchase rights for the A320 family (Source: Airbus, 09/25/13). At the expo, BOC Aviation, the Singapore-based aircraft leasing subsidiary of Bank of China, announced a firm order for the purchase of 13 A320ceo and 12 A320neo. The order comprises A320 and A321 variants. BOC Aviation will make its engine selection at a later date (Source: Airbus, 09/25/13). Also, newly established Qingdao Airlines signed a purchase agreement with Airbus for five A320ceo and 18 A320neo (Source: Airbus, 09/25/13), and Zhejiang Loong Airlines signed a MoU for 11 A320ceo and nine A320neo. (Source: Airbus, 09/25/13). Gulf Coast note: Airbus is building an A320 final assembly line in Mobile, Ala., to help meet demand for the popular family of aircraft. Previous: Airbus ups demand forecast