Aircraft backlog for Airbus rises in Philippines on more orders

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – The Philippines remains to be a lucrative market for aircraft manufacturer Airbus as air traffic growth in the country continues to accelerate.

“We enjoy a very good backlog of Airbus aircraft for all Philippine carriers,” Aymeric Dupront, Airbus head of airline marketing for South East Asia, Japan, India and Israel, said in an interview in Hamburg, Germany.

Dupront said the A321neo has the highest backlog for Airbus in the country at present, followed by the wide body A330neo.

“Philippines is a market where you need single aisles and high frequencies. But since the traffic is growing at such a fast pace, all the carriers need larger single aisles,” he said.

“We need solutions to cope with this growing traffic without touching the infrastructures. We just have to get bigger aircraft because you preserve the same slots, the same parkings at the airport, you can carry more passengers without touching the infrastructure, “ Dupront said.

The Airbus official said over 200 aircraft from both local and foreign carriers are presently needed to satisfy the entire Filipino market.

Dupront said Airbus expects demand to triple to 600 aircraft over the next 20 years.

“So what we see is a trend for bigger aircraft, bigger single aisles like the 321s,” Dupront said.

According to Airbus, the A320 Family of aircraft is currently the world’s most popular single aisle aircraft, emerging as the preferred choice of low cost carriers.

The A320 family of aircraft can carry 124 to 244 passengers and allows operators to match the right aircraft size to demand, covering the entire market, from low to high density routes to longer range thin routes.

The latest order is in addition to the 32 A321neo aircraft the company ordered in 2011, which are for delivery until 2022.

Meanwhile, Philippine Airlines has made an order of 21 A321neos to Airbus. “We are in a world where the fuel prices are usually rising and in a world where the passenger tickets are going down. Your new solution for airlines is to get more efficient aircraft and the Philippines is a perfect example of this with the backlog of 321neo and 330neo,” Dupront said.

He said there is a fleet of 132 Airbus aircraft flying with the Philippines at present.

Cebu Pacific last June ordered a total of 31 next generation aircraft from Airbus comprised of 16 A330neo and 15 A320neo family aircraft which are scheduled for delivery between 2021 and 2026.

The latest order is in addition to the 32 A321neo aircraft the company ordered in 2011, which are for delivery until 2022.

Meanwhile, Philippine Airlines has made an order of 21 A321neos to Airbus.