Airbus secures VietJet deal at Paris Air Show as Boeing keeps low profile

Airbus (OTCPK:EADSF) (OTCPK:EADSY) continued its strong performance at the Paris Air Show on Tuesday, unveiling a major agreement with VietJet for 100 A321 aircraft, further solidifying its lead over rival Boeing (NYSE:BA) during this year’s event.

The Vietnamese low-cost carrier also secured purchase rights for an additional 50 of the high-capacity single-aisle jets, marking another expansion of its already significant commitment to Airbus (OTCPK:EADSF) (OTCPK:EADSY). The agreement, structured as a memorandum of understanding, carries an estimated value between $6.6 billion and $9.9 billion, Bloomberg News reported, citing aviation consultancy Ishka, after standard industry discounts.

VietJet has emerged as one of Airbus’s (OTCPK:EADSF) (OTCPK:EADSY) most aggressive customers in Southeast Asia, having recently doubled its widebody A330neo order to 40 aircraft to support its long-haul ambitions. With this latest announcement, the airline’s order backlog with Airbus (OTCPK:EADSF) (OTCPK:EADSY) now approaches 500 planes.

However, the deal comes as VietJet remains locked in a legal dispute in the U.K. over an unpaid $180 million aircraft leasing bill, which the airline argues it cannot meet due to financial strain.

The agreement adds to a string of wins for Airbus (OTCPK:EADSF) (OTCPK:EADSY) at the air show. Just a day earlier, the European manufacturer revealed new aircraft orders from two Saudi carriers worth as much as $17 billion, along with a sizable commitment from LOT Polish Airlines.

Boeing (NYSE:BA), in contrast, has maintained a noticeably muted presence at Le Bourget this year. Following a fatal crash involving one of its aircraft in India last week, the U.S. aerospace giant has opted to scale back its public activity. Chief Executive Kelly Ortberg canceled his attendance, and as of Tuesday, Boeing (BA) had yet to announce any new commercial orders at the show.