Deals are go: Airbus claims first official order at this year’s Paris Air Show
June 16, 2025
Airbus has confirmed an order for up to 77 A350Fs and A320s with Saudi Arabia-based aircraft leasing company, AviLease.
The order, which was confirmed on Monday 16 June, is for up to 22 A350 Freighters and 55 A320s for an undisclosed sum. While the initial firm order is comprised of 10 freighters and 30 A320neo family aircraft AviLease’s agreement includes options for additional orders for both aircraft types. Deliveries are scheduled to start in 2030 and run to 2033 – a target which Airbus is confident it can meet.
Owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and headquartered in Riyadh, AirLease has rapidly grown since it was established three years ago in 2022. The global aircraft lessor currently operates a fleet of around 200 aircraft leased to 50 carriers.
Among the top 10 global lessors
Commenting on the order with Airbus Edward O’Byrne, CEO of AviLease, said the order reflects the company’s strategic focus on cargo and logistics, in line with PIF’s mandate to “become a top 10 global lessor and to build a strong and vibrant aviation ecosystem.”
The addition of Airbus’ latest generation aircraft he said “enhances our ability to offer modern, fuel-efficient fleet solutions to our airline partners in Saudi Arabia and around the world.”
He also revealed that the decision to place an order with Airbus follows close collaboration with AviLease’s stakeholders including GACA over the last year to explore different fleet options.
Bread and butter of aircraft leasing companies
Benoit de Saint-Exupery, Airbus EVP sales of the commercial aircraft business, added: “The A350F, which is the bread and butter of aircraft leasing companies, will set the benchmark in air cargo, offering at least 20% reduced fuel burn, better loading capacity and increased range, while the A320neo family continues to be the world’s most popular single-aisle aircraft.”
While the A320neo incorporates the latest technologies including new generation engines, Sharklets and 20% fuel savings, the A350F is the only freighter aircraft that will fully meet ICAO’s enhanced CO2 emissions standards, coming into effect in 2027.
AviLease, which has raised around $6 billion in capital on top of shareholder investments, sees huge potential for growth in the local Saudi market where the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 seeks to double the cargo and logistics infrastructure. “We’ve selected these aircraft primarily on the basis of their use case in Saudi Arabia, but we are also talking to airlines globally,” said O’Byrne.
“Saudi Arabia is clearly accelerating in terms of its economy and diversification and we now need the infrastructure to support our operations, so we are investing not just in new aircraft, but also in airports and logistics centres.”
AviLease’s order with Airbus follows its first direct order for up to 30 Boeing 737 MAX jets.
Commenting on his company’s ambitious growth plant to build a $20 billion balance sheet by the end of the decade, O’Byrne said the lessor is “about two years ahead of schedule, mostly thanks to the acquisition of Standard Chartered’s aircraft leasing business in 2023.”
