IAG places £5.4bn order with Airbus for Vueling expansion

[ETOPS]

As reported in the FT today..

http://www.ft.com (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/09831270-0520-11e3-9e71-00144feab7de.html#axzz2c1DvjIpq)

Numbers are 62 A320 firm orders and 58 options. Split of 30/32 CEO/NEO - there is also a hint in other articles that some may end up at BA.

Bloomberg say..
The short-haul plane commitment announced yesterday includes options for 58 more Airbus narrow-bodies for Vueling, with the additional 100 neo options for possible use at British Airways, Iberia or Vueling, it said.

[Heathrow Harry]

BBC:_
International Airlines Group (IAG), which owns British Airways and Iberia, has announced orders and options for up to 220 Airbus A320 aircraft.


IAG said up to 120 of the planes were for its Spanish airline Vueling, with 62 firm orders and 58 options.


The planes ordered have a list price of about $5.4bn (£3.5bn), although IAG said it had agreed a "substantial discount" on the list price.


IAG also has options on 100 A320s which could be used by any of its airlines.


IAG said that the new planes would enable Vueling to "replace some of its existing A320 fleet and expand its business". The planes that have been ordered are due to be delivered between 2015 and 2020.


"Vueling has managed to successfully expand its business profitably by targeting both growth markets and those areas where weak competitors are reducing capacity," said IAG chief executive, Willie Walsh.


The order is subject to approval by IAG shareholders.

[Businesstraveller]

Alas I'm not an FT subscriber. Is it known if the order will be using Rolls Royce engines? I think that's the norm for BA (sorry - IAG) Airbus deliveries.

[L1649]

Rolls Royce sold their 32.5% share in IAE to Pratt and Whitney in 2011, so you won't find any "RR" engines on the A320 series, current or future NEO models.

[OntimeexceptACARS]

And before too long on any narrowbody.... A shame as that's gotta be bread and butter with RRs expertise, like theyve given up the narrowbody segment to focus entirely on LH.

[Torquelink]

And before too long on any narrowbody.... A shame as that's gotta be bread and butter with RRs expertise, like theyve given up the narrowbody segment to focus entirely on LH. Also booted off next generation of Bombardier Global models leaving them with virtually no new narrowbody or corporate aircraft applications.

Makes you wonder what they'll do with the Alllison and RR Deutschland operations. Also, what they'll do when PW, having established narrowbody dominance with the GTF, decide to use the technology for widebodies . . . ?

Makes no sense to me: they should have stayed in IAE, swallowed their pride and worked to bring the GTF into the IAE consortium. And, if not that, fought for narrobody share through some other avenue. As it is, while they are set for the next few years, the writing's on the wall in the long term . . .