AIRBUS has broken into the Boeing-dominated Japanese market after signing a purchase agreement with Japan Airlines (JAL).
The Japanese carrier placed an order for 18 Airbus A350-900s and 13 A350-1000s, totalling US$9.5 billion at list price, according to Bloomberg. JAL has also secured options for a further 25 aircraft.
JAL and Airbus aim to deploy the Airbus planes beginning 2019 by using the A350s to replace the airline’s ageing fleet.
The A350-900 has capacity for more than 300 passengers in a three-class layout, while the A350-1000 is the largest model within the A350 XWB family and seats 350 pax.
Japanese carriers JAL and All Nippon Airways, with fleets made up mostly of Boeing planes, were forced to ground Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes early this year due to battery troubles (TTG Asia e-Daily, January 17, 2013).
