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(L-R): Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, Airbus EVP Sales of the Commercial Aircraft; Lars Wagner, CEO Commercial Aircraft Airbus; SMBC Aviation Capital CEO Peter Barrett; Barry Flannery, CCO at SMBC Aviation Capital
FARNBOROUGH—Lessor SMBC Aviation Capital has reinforced its confidence in the long-term single-aisle market by placing a firm order for 100 Airbus A320neo-family aircraft, hours after announcing a separate commitment for 100 Boeing 737 MAXs.
The Airbus new agreement, announced on July 20 at the Farnborough Airshow, comprises 65 A321neos and 35 A320neos, with deliveries scheduled for the first half of the 2030s. Combined with its earlier Boeing order for 40 737 MAX-8s and 60 737 MAX-10s, SMBC has committed to 200 narrowbodies.
“This significant new order will give our airline customers access to a continuous delivery pipeline of the latest technology A320neo family aircraft into the mid-2030s,” SMBC Aviation Capital CEO Peter Barrett said.
Barrett described the latest purchase as a continuation of SMBC's long-term fleet strategy. “We see aircraft that our customers want,” he said during a signing ceremony. “We've been buying aircraft from both OEMs [Airbus and Boeing] for a long time, and we've been very successful in placing them. These are the types of aircraft that our customers want.”
The Irish lessor owns and manages a portfolio of more than 1,200 aircraft. “We're now placing aircraft into the end of this decade—and we see a consistent need for these types of aircraft,” Barrett said. “This is feedstock for our business. This is business as usual for us.”
The announcement follows SMBC's earlier order at the show for 100 Boeing 737 MAXs including its first commitment for the -10 variant.
Although SMBC is expanding its exposure to larger narrowbodies, Barrett rejected suggestions that the A320neo order would give way to the larger A321neo over time.
“I don't think it's inevitable,” he said. “We're placing A320s today and A321s. We're buying more A321s and A320s, and that's reflected in this agreement. But we think there's a clear role for the A320.”
Airbus EVP commercial aircraft sales Benoît de Saint-Exupéry said the order demonstrated continued confidence in the manufacturer's single-aisle family.
“Our partnership with SMBC Aviation Capital goes from strength to strength,” he said. “SMBC Aviation Capital's investment reflects the global market appetite for the A320neo-family for the years to come.”
Asked about Airbus' own production outlook, de Saint-Exupéry said the company was continuing to increase output across all commercial aircraft programs despite ongoing supply chain issues.
Including parent company Sumitomo Corporation, SMBC Aviation Capital has now placed more than 900 aircraft commitments directly with Airbus across all aircraft families.
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