Skybus Airlines orders 65 A319s
October 26, 2006
Airbus said on Thursday that US low cost airline Skybus had signed a firm contract to buy 65 Airbus A319 planes.
The first A319 will be delivered in late 2008.
"The Airbus A319 is a 'state of the art' aircraft" said Ken Gile, Skybus President. "It fits perfectly with our business model, which includes high utilization of aircraft and quick turnaround times on the ground."
Airbus officials said the Skybus order was among the largest ever received from a startup US-based carrier.
"It is exciting to get in on the ground floor of such a promising operation as Skybus," said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer. "It has been a few years since an order of this meaning and magnitude has come from a low-cost start-up airline. It's a true testament to the airline's confidence in our product and our people."
The A319 is the third derivative in the popular Airbus A320 family, which has generated firm orders for more than 4,500 aircraft from 166 customers. The standard A319 seats 124 passengers.
Financial terms of the order were not announced.
(Reuters)