Singapore-based lessor BOC Aviation has ordered another 20 Airbus A320-family aircraft, most of which were orders previously held by failed US carrier Skybus.
Airbus says in a statement that the Bank of China-owned lessor has placed additional firm orders for 20 A320-family aircraft and the deal was announced today at the Zhuhai Airshow.
No mention is made of a delivery schedule but a BOC Aviation spokeswoman says deliveries are due to begin this month. She adds that 17 of the aircraft were previously ordered by US carrier Skybus, which failed earlier this year. The remaining three orders represent an exercising of options held by BOC Aviation, she adds.
Skybus had 65 A319s on order for delivery from later this year and all were to have been powered by CFM International CFM56 engines. The spokeswoman would not comment on whether BOC Aviation is sticking with this engine or whether it has changed the specification to International Aero Engines V2500s.
She says, however that there will be a "mixture of A319s and A320s", meaning BOC Aviation switched to the larger aircraft for at least some of those that were previously ordered by Skybus. No details are immediately available on lease customers for the aircraft.
BOC Aviation was already a major Airbus customer and it has now ordered 98 A320-family aircraft directly from the manufacturer, of which 58 have already been delivered. It also has five A330-200 freighters on order with Airbus.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
