Airbus steals a march on Boeing

As the annual competition for the number of commercial jets to be announced began in Paris, Airbus stole a march on Boeing. Airbus Chief Executive Officer No‰l Forgeard, speaking at a press conference today stated his confidence that Airbus would have 100 firm orders for its new A380 by the beginning of next year, as Air France signed a firm contract for ten superjumbos. Tweaking the US company's tail he also invited the audience to watch for another major announcement on Tuesday.

The official ceremony of the signing of the firm contract for the purchase of 10 A380-800s plus four options by Air France President Jean-Cyril Spinetta and Forgeard. took place in the presence of French Minister of Transport Jean-Claude Gayssot. This contract confirmed the interest expressed by Air France during last year's Farnborough air show.

Speaking to a crowd of international journalists, Jean-Cyril Spinetta stressed the significance of the event. "This contract confirms our total confidence in this aircraft and in Airbus. It also reflects our confidence in the future of air transport and the development of the Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport.

"The choice of the A380 will allow Air France to continue its development despite the saturation of major hubs. The aircraft's very large capacity will also allow us to reduce our costs per seat/km by 15 to 20 per cent, a reduction that will benefit our passengers."

The first Air France A380 is planned for delivery in November 2006 and will seat 555 passengers in an exceptionally spacious three-class layout. Further deliveries will be spread from 2007 to 2009. The airline plans to operate its A380s on long range routes from Paris to New York, Montreal, Los Angeles, Miami and Tokyo, with some adaptation to the situation in 2006.

The Air bus followed an earlier event at which Royal Air Maroc's signed for four A321s, adding another airline to Airbus' list of some 200 worldwide customers

Royal Air Maroc's A321s will be delivered beginning in the last quarter of 2003 for use on its medium-haul trunk routes. The two-class layout will seat 175 passengers. For charter operations, the A321 can be configured with 220 seats. The airline expects an increase in Moroccan air traffic and an expansion of the country's tourism industry.

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