Bahrain’s Gulf Air has ordered 29 Airbus A320 aircraft, as the airline seeks to modernise its fleet to more fuel efficient aircraft.
The order, which was made at the Bahrain Air show on Thursday, included 17 A321neo and 12 A320neo — which comes in addition to 10 A320neo that were confirmed in 2012. The total value of the 29 aircraft is $3.4 billion. Aircraft delivery will start from 2018.
According to Airbus, the A320neo family has a 60 per cent market share of single aisle planes, as about 4,500 orders were received from 80 customers.
Separately, Gulf Air said it will secure 16 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners in a restructured order worth $4.2 billion. Delivery of the Dreamliners will start from the second quarter of 2018.
The 16 Dreamliners will replace a previous order of 16 Boeing 787-8 aircraft.
The Dreamliner aircraft is gaining popularity among Gulf airlines. In December, Etihad Airways said it will deploy the aircraft on five routes in 2016, as the Boeing 787 gradually becomes the Abu Dhabi carrier’s flagship long-haul aircraft.
Etihad expects to receive 66 of Boeing’s high-tech, fuel-efficient aircraft over the coming years. selgazzar@thenational.ae
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