DUBAI, United Arab Emirates_Airbus on Tuesday said it received orders for 15 new aircraft from two national Arab airliners and a smaller order from a private Emriates-based company.
Yemenia, the official carrier for Yemen, signed a firm contract for ten Airbus A350 as part of the airline's plans to modernize its long haul fleet, Airbus said in a statement.
Oman Air also signed a firm contract with Airbus for five new A330 planes - three A330-300s and two A330-200s, Airbus said.
The deals were announced at the Dubai International Airshow, and Airbus did not provide the prices for the orders.
Al Jaber Aviation - an Emirates-based private high-end airline company - also placed a firm order for two Airbus A318 Elites and signed a letter of intent for two superjumbo A380s, said Airbus, which owned by owned by European Aeronautic Defense & Space Company.
Pakistan's Air Blue, meanwhile, said it signed a firm order for eight Airbus A320 aircraft in at deal with US$520 million at catalog prices, Dow Jones Newswires reported.
"We're looking at expanding our destinations to Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Bangkok, Malaysia and Singapore over the next three years," Shahid Abbasi, Air Blue's chief operating officer, said at the signing ceremony at the Dubai airshow.
Dubai Aerospace Enterprise also said Tuesday it acquired eight Airbus aircraft from Emirates Airline for US$500 million (€342.96 million) to start its aircraft leasing business, Dow Jones reported.
DAE Capital bought eight Airbus A330-200s in a "split purchase and leaseback deal," the company said in a statement.
The Dubai Airshow, the third-largest event of its kind, is closely watched as a measure of the state of Gulf air carriers, who are taking advantage of shifting travel routes to substantially expand their fleets, and ambition to turn the region into a major international hub.
