Airbus in Latin America breaks another record

Having been to many airshows in my career, they all start to seem the same over the years. But in the midst of all the purchase agreements, flight displays and customers meetings at this year’s Farnborough Air Show, Airbus made history in Latin America. When we sold 62 A320neo aircraft to Synergy, which was a great milestone on its own, Airbus also surpassed 1,000 aircraft sold in the region.

This is not just any milestone for my team and me. This one represented all the hard work and sacrifice the region’s airlines and Airbus have gone through together over the past 25 years to bring the most modern and efficient aircraft to the region. Latin America has become a world-leading emerging aviation market, something we see continuing despite the region’s fluctuating economy. The region’s top airlines remain keen to modernize their fleets even in a less-than-favorable economic environment, and as a result, they are operating one of the youngest fleet the world. In fact, what we are seeing is that the slower the economy, the greater the need for low costs and efficiency with modern aircraft. We are seeing that the airlines’ business models are working and thanks to the consolidation and alliances of previous years, the regional airline groups are well positioned to withstand these headwinds.

In my time at Airbus, I have seen many milestones. And most recently, another one that will forever standout in my memory is the start of operations of the A380 in Latin America. In January, Air France started daily A380 service between CDG and MEX, and in August, we saw them fly a one-time flight to Rio’s GIG on the occasion of the Olympics. With passenger traffic doubling every 15 years, the A380 is the solution for sustainable growth in fast-growing markets such as Mexico and Brazil.

In fact, during Farnborough, I was happy to see Airbus launch the “iflyA380.com” website so travelers like you and me can use our many digital tools to experience this iconic double decker aircraft. Since booking systems today do not allow us to choose our preferred aircraft, iflyA380.com helps fill that gap by allowing passengers to access the A380 aircraft at time of reserving a flight. For the first time, a booking service puts the aircraft type as the criteria for flight selection. With 60 percent of travelers willing to make an extra effort to fly on the A380, this new seamless experience is a win for Airbus A380, it’s a win for the airlines operators and it’s a win for the passenger.