Aircraft leasing company SMBC Aviation Capital has finalised a firm order for 65 Airbus planes from the A320neo family with a catalogue price of $7.47 billion, Airbus said today.
The order for 50 A320neo and 15 A321neo single-aisle aircraft is worth the equivalent of €6.6 billion.
It brings to 71 the total number of planes from that category ordered by Dublin-based SMBC last year, a statement from the European aerospace giant said.
Large orders typically result in a discount on the catalogue price.
SMBC, one of the world's largest aircraft leasing companies, is owned by a consortium of Japanese companies led by Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC).
Peter Barrett, CEO of SMBC Aviation Capital said that demand for the latest technology aircraft has been strong both from its existing and new customers.
"In the current environment, airlines are seeking more fuel efficient aircraft. The make-up of our order book positions us well for the future to deliver on those needs," Mr Barrett said.
"We have a strong relationship with Airbus and we look forward to working with them to continue to deliver for our customers," he added.
On January 3, Airbus said it had finalised the sale of 120 A220-300 single-aisle jets worth $11 billion to US carrier JetBlue and a start-up codenamed Moxy that is to begin operations in 2021.
In terms of actual deliveries, Airbus was slightly behind US rival Boeing in 2018 however, with 800 commercial aircraft for the European group, compared with 806 for Boeing.
