Airbus Takes the Lead in Aircraft Orders on the First Day of Paris Air Show

The Paris Air Show kicked off on Monday June 19 with a bang as Airbus announced the biggest-ever order for civil aircraft in history. The European manufacturer secured a deal with Indian carrier IndiGo for 500 A320 family jets, worth an estimated $50 billion at list prices, and orders from several other Middle Eastern and Asian airlines.

The order eclipsed the previous record of 470 jets set by Air India and cemented IndiGo’s position as the world’s largest customer of the A320 family, with a total of 1,000 planes on order.

Airbus also announced orders from Saudi budget airline Flynas for 30 A320neo jets and from Biman Bangladesh ordered 10 aircraft from Airbus. Air Mauritius has confirmed an order for three more Airbus A350s to join its fleet. The airline already operates four of the model. In total, Airbus racked up 533 orders and commitments on the first day of the show, compared to zero for Boeing.

The deal also boosted Airbus’s lead over rival Boeing in the single-aisle market, where the A320 competes with the 737 MAX. Boeing has been struggling to recover from the grounding of the MAX.

Boeing, however, did not come empty-handed to the show. The US manufacturer showcased its 787 Dreamliner and its newest freighter, the 777X. It also displayed its F-35 stealth fighter and its KC-46 tanker for military customers.

The Paris Air Show, which runs until June 25, is the world’s largest aviation event and a showcase for the latest products and technologies in the industry. It is expected to attract around 320,000 visitors and 2,500 exhibitors from 46 countries.