'Oh My, Dubai!'

From the looks of it, the 2005 Dubai Air Show was another indication of a general resurgence in commercial aviation, as the problems being faced by domestic carriers are being overshadowed on the global front by phenomenal growth overseas. Here is the breakdown of how Boeing and Airbus have performed so far in Dubai (hint: it's close, folks!)

Airbus

In addition to their order for 20 Boeing 787s, International Lease Finance Corp. (ILFC) also shored up their order for 12 of the Dreamliner's main competitor, the Airbus A350.

"The Airbus A350 is the natural choice for a global lessor like us," said ILFC Chairman and CEO Steven Udvar-Hazy. "It complements our portfolio of Airbus aircraft in which the A330 and its single-aisle Family are the cornerstones."

ILFC has been a launch customer for nearly every type of Airbus aircraft, according to the European manufacturing consortium.

TAP Portugal, an all-Airbus operator, chose Dubai to announce their decision to acquire 10 Airbus A350s and seven Airbus A330-200s to modernize and reinforce its long-haul fleet.

Also adding to the A350 order book was Kuwait-based ALAFCO, yet another leasing company. The company ordered 12 A350-800s, and has options on six more. ALAFCO placed their order before ILFC, making them the first leasing client to select the A350.

In all, 155 A350 orders have been placed, according to Airbus, from 11 customers.

Airbus's A320 family also had a strong showing in Dubai. Kingfisher Airlines is to acquire 30 more Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft, continuing its major fleet expansion. Deliveries of the aircraft are due to begin in early 2008.

Jazeera Airways, the new, privately owned airline of Kuwait, also signed a contract in Dubai for six more Airbus A320s, taking its total orders for the model to ten.

"We have shown that, with the Airbus A320, we can deliver a quality product at an affordable price, and we are now looking to spread that success more widely," says Jazeera Airways Chairman and CEO, Marwan Boodai.

By our count... carry the two... yep, that makes 83 new aircraft orders -- including options -- for Airbus announced at Dubai. And remember, they also had the A380 looming over the event.

Boeing

Boeing chose the 2005 Dubai Air Show to reveal some more of its plans, as well as some of its planes.

In addition to the large Emirates 777 order (62 aircraft, including options) and ILFC's call for 20 787s, both of which were reported in Aero-News yesterday, the manufacturer also announced a new Dreamliner order -- bringing the total of 787 orders and options to 309 -- and a new derivative of the Boeing Business Jet, based on the Next-Generation 737-900ER.

The order for six new Dreamliners was actually placed last May, but the customer was not identified as new leasing company LCAL until Monday. LCAL was the first leasing company to commit to the 787, and will operate the Dreamliner series exclusively.

"LCAL represents a rare opportunity for Boeing to partner with a new and innovative company from its inception," said Scott Carson, vice president of Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "LCAL's low-cost business model and single-fleet concept represent a different, creative approach to the industry.

That makes 88 orders announced at Dubai... although to be fair, the Dreamliner orders
were actually announced earlier this year; only the customer names were new.

Something that WAS all-new, though, was Boeing's unveiling of a new, more spacious Boeing Business Jet, the BBJ 3. The new product offering is a business jet version of Boeing's Next-Generation 737-900ER commercial jetliner -- meaning it offers 35 percent more cabin space than the BBJ and 11 percent more cabin space than the BBJ 2, as well as offering a maximum range of 4,765 nautical miles (8,825 km).

"BBJ customers value long-range capability and cabin size and this product offering enhances both attributes of the BBJ family," Boeing Business Jets President Steven Hill said during a media briefing at the Dubai Air Show. "It is fitting that we announce our intention to offer this airplane at the Dubai Air Show, because we believe the airplane will have wide appeal in this region."

According to Boeing, 26 percent of the BBJ worldwide fleet is based in the Middle East. The majority of BBJ 2s has been ordered from the region, and they make up almost half of the area's BBJ fleet.

Hill also announced the BBJ Program has signed a service contract with Jet Aviation Dubai, making it the second authorized service center in the region. Jet Aviation will provide maintenance, repair and overhaul services as well as warranty work on behalf of BBJ customers.

This contract brings the total number of authorized service centers to eight, including three service centers in Europe, two in the United States, one in Singapore and now two in the Middle East region.

FMI: www.airbus.com, www.boeing.com