Airbus Wins 80-aircraft A320neo Order from BOC Aviation

BOC Aviation has ordered 80 A320neo-family narrowbody airliners in a deal that nearly doubles Airbus's net order count for the year and takes the lessor's portfolio of owned, managed, and ordered aircraft to 610. The order, which is one of the biggest commercial aircraft deals announced so far in 2022, consists of 10 A321XLRs, 50 A321neos, and 20 A320neos and calls for deliveries to occur from 2027 to 2029.

The April 11 announcement follows a modestly active first quarter for Singapore-based BOC Aviation, when it took delivery of seven aircraft, committed to buying 13 new aircraft, and signed 22 lease commitments. On March 3 the company said it committed to ordering 11 Boeing 737 Max 8s for lease to Canadian low-fare startup Lynx Air.

Last year BOC Aviation delivered an average of one aircraft per week to its airline customers and ended the year with an owned and managed fleet of 417 aircraft. This week's deal ranks as the largest single order ever placed by the company.

For Airbus, the first quarter saw it generate net orders for 91 A320neo-family jets and 72 A220-family narrowbodies, while cancellations-primarily involving A330-900s-reduced the total net order count to 83. It delivered a total of 140 airplanes for a 13 percent increase over the same period a year earlier.

Now building A320s at a rate of 50 per month, Airbus plans to raise that rate to 61 by the end of this year and 65 by mid-2023.