Airbus expects to announce more Latin American customers for the Airbus A320neo shortly, as single-aisle jets continue to form the bulk of the expected demand for new aircraft in the region.
The airframer has so far won A320neo orders from LATAM Airlines Group, Avianca, Volaris, Interjet and VivaAerobus, notes Rafael Alonso, Airbus's president for Latin America and the Caribbean.
He adds that some other customers will be announced "shortly". Alonso has previously told Flightglobal that Airbus has an "important order" in the region lined up, hinting at an A320-family deal.
A320neo sales are a key pillar of Airbus's strategy in the region, which is dominated by narrowbodies.
In its global market forecast, Airbus estimates that Latin America and the Caribbean will require 2,294 new passenger and freighter aircraft between 2014 and 2033. The majority of this – or almost 1,800 – will be single-aisle jets.
Boosting the potential for narrowbody sales is the expected growth on intra-regional routes, which is expected to triple in the region by 2033.
Currently, the 20 largest cities in North America and Europe are connected with one another by at least one flight a day. But in Latin America and the Caribbean, only 40% of the top 20 cities have such connectivity, shows Airbus's forecast.
"There is huge potential on intra-regional routes," says Alonso.
An important order in the region that Airbus hopes to win is from Avianca. The airline's chief executive Fabio Villegas said today that the carrier has issued a request for proposal for a significant narrowbody aircraft order, and that it could order "hundreds" of jets.
Alonso says the airline could order about a hundred or so aircraft.
Even though Avianca does not operate the Boeing 737, Villegas says Airbus's rival is still in the competition. Boeing has said it is bullish on winning a 737 Max order from Avianca.
To this, Alonso responds: "We are as confident as we can be. Avianca is operating the A320s in a very efficient way. We will table a very competitive offer."
Source: Cirium Dashboard
