In My Perspective

It is official. With 1,348 orders (the most ever recorded in our 40-year history and also the industry), 534 deliveries (24 more than last year’s record) and a backlog of 4,437 (8 years of production worth), 2011 will go down in the record books as the most successful year for Airbus to date.

But the story doesn’t stop here. Last year also marked the most successful year for Airbus in our dear region of Latin America, as the company captured more than 90 percent of orders in the region by achieving an order intake of exactly 100 commercial aircraft worth nearly US$10 billion.

Our incredible success in 2011, which included orders from LAN, TAM, AviancaTaca and Volaris, brings to mind a thrilling 1998, when Airbus boosted its presence in Latin America with a joint order for 90 single-aisle aircraft from TAM, LAN and TACA. At the time it was the largest order in Latin American commercial aviation history and since then, the three airlines combined have purchased more than 400 A320 Family aircraft.

Much like 1998 was a turning point for Airbus in the region, I see 2011 as a pivotal year for us in this decade. On one hand, we saw continued confidence from original customers LAN and TAM, which are also betting on their futures with significant A320neo orders, and on the other, we experienced truly remarkable transformations in the market. To think that just 10 years ago, Avianca’s fleet was entirely made up of the competition and today they fly an all-Airbus fleet. Low cost airlines are also changing the market. With an impressive order for 44 A320aircraft, 30 of which were A320neo, Volaris didn’t just make aviation history with the largest firm order from a Mexican airline, but it also solidified itself as one of the biggest airlines in the country, flying one of the youngest fleet in the world.

As we embark on our 35th year operating in the region, we have no plans to slow down. In fact, we already kicked off the year with a bang when AviancaTaca firmed up their order for 51 A320 aircraft, including 33 A320neo and 18 A320 Family, going down in the record books as the biggest aircraft order of any Latin American airline. Latin America’s GDP is growing faster than the world average and its middle class is expected to surge 75 percent in the next 20 years. So keep an eye on us in 2012, as I am sure we will continue to break a few more records.

With more than 30 years in the aviation industry, Rafael Alonso is the Senior Vice President of Airbus Customer Affairs for the Latin America and the Caribbean region, responsible for all Airbus commercial activities and customer relations in more than 40 countries.