Rolls-Royce announces $2bn orders at the Paris Air Show
17 Jun 2009
The Paris Air Show has opened on a cheerful note for British aerospace giant Rolls-Royce, which won orders worth up to $2bn (£1.2bn) for planes bought by Malaysian budget airline Air Asia X and Middle-Eastern carrier Etihad.
Air Asia X's engine order for 10 Airbus A350 XWB planes will be worth $1.8bn from, with an option for five more. The order for engines for Etihad's previously announced order for 20 Airbus A320s would be worth another $190 million, with the contract also including a long-term service agreement.
Meanwhile, Airbus also announced Vietnam Airlines will buy 16 A321s. It said it would be sticking to its target of 300 new orders for the year.
US rival Boeing is yet to announce any new commercial plane orders at the Paris show.
Both the rivals are pursuing new business in the face of a global downturn that has impacted the travel industry severely and left airlines cancelling orders or postponing deliveries.