Dublin-based aircraft leasing firm AWAS has agreed to buy 75 Airbus A320 aircraft and that it had options to buy a further 25 in a deal worth $6.9 billion at current list prices.
'This deal further diversifies our fleet and allows AWAS to meet current and future demand from our customers for highly fuel efficient and environmentally friendly aircraft,' AWAS CEO Franklin Pray said in a statement.
AWAS, which is owned by European private equity firm Terra Firma Capital Partners, last year acquired Pegasus Aviation Finance making it one of the world's three largest aircraft leasing companies. AWAS owns or manages a total of 320 aircraft.
The company said last month it had placed an order with Boeing for 31 single-aisle 737 planes worth about $2.3 billion at list prices. The narrow-body 737 competes with Airbus's A320 family of aircraft.
'We have successfully doubled the size of our company in 2007 and this deal announcement is further confirmation of our prime position in the industry,' Pray said.
