Frankfurt based ‘Luftfahrt ohne Grenzen’, the German counterpart of ‘Aviation sans Frontières’, has been a regular partner of the Airbus Corporate Foundation for more than two years now. The organisation supports Airbus humanitarian ferry flights from Germany to countries in need, which have been affected by natural disasters.

THAI President, Mr. Piyasvasti Amranand, said, “It was logical for THAI to collaborate with Airbus Corporate Foundation to deliver the humanitarian goods to Thailand using our latest aircraft. As we receive the first of an order of seven A330-300 aircraft, it seems only natural to use the first aircraft’s delivery flight to carry much needed relief cargo.”

 “Thailand suffered severe floods this summer. Over 12.8 million people are still affected and in need of medicine, clothing and blankets,” said Andrea Debbane, Executive Director of the Airbus Corporate Foundation: “The Airbus Corporate Foundation, ‘Luftfahrt ohne Grenzen’ and THAI identified this flight as one more opportunity to transport humanitarian goods to people in need. We would like to thank both our partners and all the donor NGOs involved in this project”.

Donor NGOs include Apotheker helfen e.V. (“Pharmacists are helping), Humedica, Fraport AG, Coppenrath GmbH and Intermedica GmbH.

In recent years, Airbus has built up a global network of airlines and relief organisations to support international humanitarian help. Delivery flights of new to be delivered aircraft have been used on numerous occasions to transport goods to destinations in need all over the world.

The Airbus Corporate Foundation was created to facilitate charitable activities worldwide within an international network of employees and partners. The Airbus Corporate Foundation started its operation on 1st December, 2008 with Airbus president and CEO Tom Enders being appointed Chairman of its Board of Directors. The organisation focuses its support on the three themes: humanitarian and community support, youth development and the environment.

Since its launch in December 2008, the Airbus Corporate Foundation has facilitated over 20 relief flights to numerous destinations all over the globe.

The 1,000th Airbus delivery was an A340-300 that went to Air France in 1993, nineteen years after the first Airbus aircraft was delivered – an A300B2 also to Air France, in 1974. The 2,000th delivery was six years later in 1999. It took half that time, just three years, to get to the 3,000th delivery in 2002 and three more years to reach 4,000 deliveries. The tempo went up another notch taking Airbus only two years to hand over its 5,000th aircraft, an A330-200 to Qantas in December 2007. The 6,000th Airbus was an A380 which was delivered to Emirates in January 2010.

“It’s particularly fitting that our 7,000th aircraft is an A321 going to US Airways. The airline not only operates the largest fleet of Airbus aircraft in the world; with over 220 A320 Family aircraft flying in US Airways colours today, they also operate the largest fleet of our best-selling, eco-efficient A320 Family,” said Tom Enders, Airbus President and CEO. “This milestone is a tribute to the hard work and commitment of Airbus teams around the world. We have improved efficiencies company-wide and this has enabled us to deliver record numbers of latest generation aircraft at continually increasing rates, with an environmental footprint ever decreasing.”

“Airbus has been a long-term strategic partner to US Airways. Today we celebrate a significant milestone in Airbus’ history,” said US Airways’ Chief Executive Officer, Douglas Parker. “It is an honor to be the recipient of their 7,000th delivery. On behalf of the 32,000 employees at US Airways, we applaud this tremendous accomplishment and look forward to a continued successful partnership.”

By the end of the year, US Airways will operate a fleet of 93 A319s, 72 A320s, 63 A321s and 16 A330s. The airline also has firm orders for an additional 58 A320 Family aircraft, eight A330 aircraft and 22 A350 XWBs on backlog.

Over 8,200 A320 Family aircraft have already been ordered and more than 4,900 delivered to more than 340 customers and operators worldwide reaffirming its position as the world’s best-selling single-aisle aircraft family. The A320neo has over 95 percent airframe commonality with the current A320, making it an easy fit into existing fleets while offering up to 500 nautical miles (950 kilometres) more range or two tonnes more payload at a given range.

Transaero Airlines is planning to operate the aircraft on its extended medium-haul network of domestic and international routes as part of its expansion strategy and fleet renewal programme. The engine selection will be announced by the airline at a later date.

Olga Pleshakova, Transaero Airlines CEO, said, “This order for the A320neo confirms Transaero’s ambition to become the first operator of this aircraft type in Russia, the CIS and Eastern Europe. These newest aircraft will enable us to offer maximum comfort to our passengers, while their high fuel efficiency will help us make air transportation affordable for wider audience. “

“Transaero is an exceptionally forward looking and pioneering airline in Russia and we are delighted to play such a significant role in the company’s future strategy.” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers. “In a fiercely competitive market this is a great endorsement for our eco-efficient, passenger pleasing A320neo aircraft.”

Over 8,100 A320 Family aircraft have already been ordered and more than 4,800 delivered to more than 340 customers and operators worldwide reaffirming its position as the world’s best-selling single-aisle aircraft family. The A320neo has over 95 percent airframe commonality with the current A320, making it an easy fit into existing fleets while offering up to 500 nautical miles (950 kilometres) more range or two tonnes more payload at a given range.

The A320neo is a new engine option for the A320 Family entering into service from 2015 and incorporates latest generation engines and large "Sharklet" wing tip devices, which together will deliver 15 percent in fuel savings. This reduction in fuel burn is equivalent to 1.4m litres of fuel – the consumption of 1,000 mid size cars.  This saves 3,600 metric tonnes of C02 per aircraft per year, the amount absorbed by 240,000 mature trees. The A320neo NOx emissions are 50% below CAEP/6 and this aircraft also has a considerably smaller noise footprint.

“We only needed to make limited changes in European policies and practices to comply with the Appellate Body’s report; we did what we needed to do and we did it in the agreed timeframe,” said Rainer Ohler, Airbus’ Head of Public Affairs and Communications. “Today, we call on the US and Boeing to do the same next year. We realize that this will mean substantial sacrifice for Boeing due to the far broader scope and scale of WTO findings of US subsidy to Boeing”.

Following a review with independent experts of what obligations resulted from the WTO’s ruling, Europe has adopted a course of action. This addresses all forms of adverse effects, all categories of subsidies and all models of Airbus aircraft covered by the WTO report. As a result, Europe has ensured full implementation of the WTO recommendations and rulings. The WTO will publicly disclose information regarding these measures at a later stage. Airbus calls on all parties to recognize that Europe has implemented in good faith, and to return to vigorous marketplace competition rather than further attempts to stifle competition through unjustified legal processes. 

Airbus calls for a show of similar good faith in the implementation of the judgment of Boeing aid coming early next year. Airbus remains concerned that recent media reports of massive federal tax subsidies for Boeing suggest that it will continue to flout the rules of the game. Airbus will carefully follow this separate case to ensure that the playing field remains fair on both sides of the Atlantic. 

More information about the WTO cases: www.airbus.com/presscentre/hot-topics/wto

Sharklets are around 2.5 metres tall and will replace the aircraft’s current wingtip fence. Offered as an option on new-build aircraft, Sharklets have been specially designed for the Airbus A320 Family to reduce fuel burn by up to an additional 3.5 percent, corresponding to an annual CO2 reduction of around 700 tonnes per aircraft. This reduction is equivalent to the CO2 produced by around 200 cars annually. The wingtip devices will also enhance the aircraft’s performance.

“The hunt is underway for Airbus to take another bite out of airlines’ fuel bills and CO2 emissions,” says Airbus’ Chief Operating Officer Customers, John Leahy. “With this start of Sharklet flight-testing today, actions speak louder than words as we take another definitive step towards greener aviation.”

A standard fit on the A320neo Family, which on its first anniversary after launch has attracted almost 1,500 orders and commitments from 26 customers, the Sharklets will contribute together with the new engines to 15 percent in fuel savings.

Airbus forecasts the world’s single-aisle airliner fleet to double to more than 23,000 aircraft by 2030, with an average annual fleet growth of 3.4 percent. This expansion will require around 19,200 new single-aisle aircraft deliveries for replacement and growth. Thanks to Airbus’ continuous product improvement investments of around 250 million euros annually in its single-aisle aircraft portfolio alone, the A320 Family is well positioned to capture a leading portion of this market.

Airbus is the world’s leading aircraft manufacturer offering the most modern and efficient passenger aircraft families from 100 to over 500 seats. Headquartered in Toulouse, France, Airbus is an EADS company.

These new aircraft deliveries will be dominated by single-aisles (365), such as Airbus’ modern A320 Family. Airbus also forecasts a trend toward larger aircraft sizes as airlines seek to grow capacity efficiently, reduce seat mile costs and simultaneously their impact on the environment.  There are 59 twin-aisle new aircraft deliveries forecast over the next 20 years in the Nordics, which will include types such as the A330 and A350 XWB. Around half of the new aircraft requirement for the region will be for the replacement of older less eco-efficient aircraft, and half will be for new aircraft as air travel continues to grow to and from the Nordics.

The Airbus forecast for the Nordic region is based on an analysis of seven countries, where over 50 airlines operate some 302 passenger aircraft today.

Air traffic to, from and within the Nordics has increased by 67% since 2001 with an increase of 87% in international traffic. As well as connecting the region to the rest of Europe and the world, tourism is becoming increasingly important, with its share of GDP in Nordics, expected to reach 6.5% in 2020 compared to 5.6% today.

Driven by tourism, advanced economies with a high standard of living and further developments in the low cost market, Airbus forecasts that the Nordics will average an annual passenger traffic growth rate of 4.0%. This figure is above other developed aviation markets such as North America (2.5%, domestic) and in line with Western Europe (3.5%, inter regionally).

“The aircraft fleet serving the Nordic market will grow from ~300 aircraft today, to more than 500 over the next 20 years, an increase of aircraft in service of 70%”, says Christopher Emerson, Senior Vice President Product Strategy & Market Forecast, Airbus. “This translates into a large demand for more aircraft, which Airbus is well positioned to supply with its range of modern eco-efficient planes”.

With this long term growth, Airbus recognises the need to continually innovate to meet the demands of airlines, passengers and the environment. As part of this vision for a more connected and sustainable world, Airbus has established The ‘Future by Airbus’ – a unique project designed to lead the debate around the global issues impacting aviation in the future and search for solutions today.

Key areas which are addressed in the Future by Airbus vision and have been showcased in the Nordic region this week include: future energy sources; air traffic management and new aircraft models. Today, Airbus is working with partners in the industry to help find green solutions for tomorrow.  Such projects include: VINGA – an assignment to reduce CO2 emissions through streamlined flight processes with NovAir in Sweden and various commercial biofuel flights with numerous airlines including Finnair.

Airbus is the world’s leading aircraft manufacturer offering the most modern and efficient passenger aircraft families from 100 to over 500 seats. Headquartered in Toulouse, France, Airbus is an EADS company.

Note to editors:

The Airbus Global Market Forecast gives a detailed analysis of world air transport developments, covering 300 distinct passenger and freight traffic flows, as well as a year-by-year fleet evolution of the world’s aircraft operators, through fleet analysis of more than 800 passenger airlines and 190 freighter operators over the next 20 years. In doing so, the forecast covers aircraft demand from the regional market to the very largest aircraft available, the A380 today.

VINGA & SESAR: The VINGA project is partly financed by the European programme SESAR, which mission is to develop a modernised air traffic management system for Europe. In cooperation with AIRE, Atlantic Interoperability Initiative to Reduce Emission, SESAR operates to make flying more environmentally friendly by reducing emissions and noise in Europe. http://www.sesarju.eu

A ceremony was held today to mark the opening of Airbus (Tianjin) Logistics. Chinese government officials, representatives of Airbus and its partners, and other aviation industry professionals attended the event. By establishing this logistics company in Tianjin, Airbus aims in particular to optimize all transport and logistics activities related to Airbus in China as part of its worldwide supply chain.

Today, a number of Chinese companies are directly involved in manufacturing parts and components for Airbus aircraft. These companies are located in different cities, including Harbin, Shenyang, Tianjin, Xi’an, Chengdu and Shanghai, and each supply chain is organised separately. A harmonised and streamlined supply chain will increase the efficiency of the Airbus production lines and reduce logistics costs.

“Airbus (Tianjin) Logistics will provide strong support to all industrial exchanges between China and the rest of the world, which are needed as a result of our expanding industrial activities in China. The Airbus logistics centre in Tianjin is another step forward in our cooperation with Tianjin, where we already have the A320 Family Final Assembly Line and Delivery Centre,” said Laurence Barron, Airbus China President. “This improvement in our logistics set-up will also support the production of the A350 XWB, of which five percent of the airframe will be manufactured in China”.

In October 2009, Airbus signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Tianjin Free Trade Zone on the establishment of a logistics hub in Tianjin. In 2010, the logistics centre started operations in temporary facilities, having served already two major aeronautic projects in Tianjin: the A320 wing equipping project and the assembling and testing of the wing slats by SINELSON AERO (Tianjin) to be installed on aircraft assembled at the FALC.

Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian’s president and CEO, said, “Adding these additional A330-200s to our fleet over the next four years will support the continued expansion of our network and replacement of our current 767-300s. Our guests have responded enthusiastically to the cabin comfort and amenities of the A330-200, which, together with the superior service of our front line employees, offer the best airline experience for travelers to Hawaii.”

"This has been our best week of the year in terms of sales, outside the Paris Airshow and it is very gratifying that Hawaiian tops it off with an order for five new A330 wide-bodies to fulfil their ambitious growth plans, "said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers. “Just a year-and-a-half ago, I said I hoped that Hawaiian‘s passengers and employees would come to love this aircraft, and that hope has proven to be a reality.”

Hawaiian’s new A330s, like their existing A330 fleet, will seat 294 passengers in a comfortable, two-class configuration and have a range of more than 6,000 nautical miles. The A330-200 has excellent operational flexibility, serving a wide range of route structures, and provides operators with very low operating costs per seat. Its proven record of efficiency and superior passenger comfort provides airlines with a significant competitive advantage in today’s market. As of the end of October, there were 433 A330-200s in operation worldwide, with a backlog of firm orders of 131. 

By 2030, Brazil, the largest and fastest growing passenger market for Airbus in Latin America, will become the fourth largest domestic air travel market in the world with an annual growth rate of 7.4 percent, following the United States, China and India.

Brazil is currently ranked fourth in the world in terms of seats on departing flights, offering twice as many seats today than a decade ago. During the same time span, the country’s international and domestic air travel more than doubled, and as of 2010 Sao Paulo became the biggest gateway city for international travel to Latin America.

Looking ahead, the growth is only expected to continue. Between 2010 and 2030, the country’s GDP is expected to skyrocket 144 percent, 20 percent higher than the Latin America average.

Some of the trends driving Brazil’s air travel growth include:

· Outstanding economic growth

· Increased propensity to travel by air, driven by rapid growth of a travelling middle class

· Growing tourism economy contributing to GDP growth  

“Brazil has become one of the world’s top 10 markets for new passenger aircraft in terms of aircraft deliveries over the next 20 years,” said Rafael Alonso, Executive Vice President of Airbus for Latin American and the Caribbean. “With international traffic to and from Brazil doubling over the past decade and showing no signs of slowing, Brazilian carriers have a tremendous opportunity to gain greater market share.”

In the past 10 years, tourism has contributed to Brazil’s GDP by nearly 200 percent and by 2020 it is expected to grow another 60 percent. Brazilian tourists are flying in some of the youngest aircraft fleet in the world. The average age of aircraft in Brazil with more than 100 seats is seven years, which is three years younger than the world and the regional average.

In Latin America, Airbus foresees a 20-year demand for more than 2,000 new passenger aircraft, including 1,653 single-aisle, 334 twin-aisle and 41 very large aircraft, estimated at approximately $200 billion. Globally, by 2030 some 27,900 new aircraft valued at $3.5 trillion will be required to satisfy future robust market demand.

With more than 600 aircraft sold and a backlog of nearly 300, over 400 Airbus aircraft are in operation throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. In the last 10 years, Airbus has tripled its in-service fleet, while delivering more than 60 percent of all aircraft operating in the region. 

Qatar Airways made the single largest firm order (50 A320neo and five A380s) worth US$6.4 billion at list prices. Firm orders for the A320neo from ALAFCO (50) and ACG (30) worth a combined US$7.3 billion demonstrates the A320neo’s strong investment appeal by lessors.

Spirit Airlines made the largest commitment at the show for 75 A320 Family aircraft (30 A320 with Sharklets and 45 A320neo) worth US$6.7 billion.

‘Comlux The Aviation Group’ signed a commitment for an Airbus ACJ321 - the first placed with Airbus for the type – expanding Airbus’ corporate jet family. This deal, worth US$99.7 million, will make Comlux the first to operate the Airbus ACJ318, ACJ319, ACJ320 and the ACJ321.

John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer, Customers commented: “The order intake at this airshow is the second best we’ve ever had at Dubai. Our A320neo has again been the star of the show. But despite some storm clouds on the horizon there is still strong market demand for fuel-efficient aircraft from airlines and lessors.”

The A320neo is a new engine option for the A320 Family entering into service from 2015 and incorporates latest generation engines and large "Sharklet" wing tip devices, which together will deliver 15 percent in fuel savings. The A320neo has over 95 percent airframe commonality making it an easy fit into existing fleets while offering up to 500 nautical miles (950 kilometres) more range or two tonnes more payload at a given range. By end of the Dubai Airshow sales of the neo have reached 1,420 orders and commitments in less than a year after launch, making it the fastest selling aircraft ever.

The A380 is the most advanced, spacious and eco-efficient airliner in service today. Typically seating 525 passengers in a three class layout, the A380 is capable of flying 8,300 nautical miles / 15,300 kilometres non-stop. Over 16 million passengers have already enjoyed the unique experience of flying on board the all-new aircraft. The in-service fleet has accumulated by now almost 400,000 revenue flight hours in nearly 45,000 commercial flights.  As of today total firm orders for the aircraft stand at over 243 from 18 customers worldwide.

Airbus is the world’s leading aircraft manufacturer offering the most modern and efficient passenger aircraft families from 100 to over 500 seats. Headquartered in Toulouse, France, Airbus is an EADS company.