The Middle East carrier announced the deal at the Singapore Airshow. Singapore Airlines has also confirmed bookings of cargo or freighter aircraft on the same day.
Demand for cargo planes increased in line with the agreement of a number of international airlines, including Etihad Airways for seven Airbus SE A350 units.
The Middle East carrier announced the deal at the Singapore Airshow. Singapore Airlines has also confirmed bookings of cargo or freighter aircraft on the same day.
This purchase contract adds to a series of commitments from Air Lease Corp., French logistics giant CMA CGM Group and Air France-KLM for wide-body aircraft models.
Citilink Doesn't Want a Tariff War The new plane will add to Etihad's fleet of five A350-1000 passenger aircraft, according to the statement.
The airline briefly reduced its large order for A350 passenger jets in 2019 as part of a restructuring, but is slated to take on an additional 15.
However, it is not clear whether any of the remaining commitments will be transferred to freighter orders.
Etihad Executive Officer Tony Douglas previously said that the company would only operate 12 A350 passenger aircraft. The A350F series will play an important role in Etihad's long-term strategy for cargo and meeting its emission reduction targets.
Airbus SE is relying on a lower emissions strategy as a selling point for its A350 freighter aircraft as it seeks to enter a market segment that Boeing Co has long dominated.
This European aircraft manufacturer posted an increase in orders from the Asia Pacific region of more than 17,600 new aircraft for the next two decades. About three-quarters of these new orders come from the small aircraft category, such as the A220 and A320 types.
Cargo aircraft are also in high demand to keep pace with regional fleet needs which will more than double by 2040, Airbus said. Airbus believes more than 40 percent of demand will come from Asia Pacific.
China is becoming the main source of growth after a long hiatus related to the country's zero-Covid strategy, Airbus said. Meanwhile, India and other developing countries such as Vietnam are other magnets.
"We still hope to complete transactions with Chinese customers. There is a lot of pressure on our partners in China to face the risk of not having sufficient capacity to meet their needs," said Airbus Chief Commercial Officer Christian Scherer.
