Aviation
Airbus Shrugs Off Canceled Plane Orders
BEIJING – Airbus Group NV Chief Executive Tom Enders on Wednesday said a flurry of order cancellations for its commercial jetliners doesn’t herald a market downturn and that many of the deals for single-aisle jets will return at a later date.
Net commercial jet order intake this year already is ahead of planned deliveries with “a lot more orders” to come, Mr. Enders said. “The market is still very strong” with weak spots such as Asia merely regional blips, he said.
Airbus on Tuesday reported a 31% rise in second-quarter net profit to €696 million ($933.3 million) as sales advanced 7% in the quarter to €14.5 billion. The company’s shares rose more than 3.7% in early Paris trading.
Airbus has suffered more than 225 order canceled this year, including a decision by Emirates Airlinenot to acquire 70 A350 long-range jets. That number isn’t alarming, Mr. Enders said, with only the Emirates development truly unforeseen.
Cancellations particularly of the A320 single-aisle jet, the backbone of Airbus production, are driven partly by a transition to a newer model, the A320neo for “new engine options,” Mr. Enders said. Deals with airlines that normally would delay A320 orders are now being canceled because the Toulouse-based plane maker wants to quickly shift to building only the A320neo, which starts being delivered next year.
“We have to cancel these old orders and these are normally transferred into new orders,” Mr. Enders said. More A320 cancellations of this type are likely this year and next, he said. In some cases, the replacement deals are booked at better financial terms, Mr. Enders said.
His comments come just a day after Airbus said it had canceled the sale of six A380 superjumbos to Japan’s Skymark Airlines. 9204.TO -13.60% Two of the planes have already been assembled leaving the manufacturer to seek other buyers at a time it has struggled to win new orders for its flagship plane.
Mr. Enders said not delivering the Skymark planes wouldn’t undermine a long-standing goal for A380 shipments next year to reach break even after years of losses. The deal with the Japanese carrier was canceled before the complex cabin interior was installed which should make re-marketing the plane easier, he said.
Other A380 customers have also indicated they may not want the jet, such as Virgin Atlantic Airways. “We have cases where airlines are in the order backlog but not in the actual production plan,” Mr. Enders said, without naming specific airlines.
Sales campaigns are ongoing to secure more A380 orders, he said, while acknowledging “the very large aircraft category is a weak category.”
Additional jetliner bookings this year will also come from a decision to introduce an upgraded version of the A330 widebody at the Farnborough air show this month, Mr. Enders said. The world’s second-largest plane maker secured $75.3 billion in deals at the event.
The so-called A330neo is due for delivery from late 2017 and promises 14% greater efficiency over the existing model largely by adding new engines from Rolls-Royce Holdings RR.LN +0.38% PLC.
The A330 has been an important contributor to Airbus profit, but the existing version was starting to run short of orders as more fuel-efficient planes such as the Boeing Co. BA -0.60% 787 Dreamliner entered the market. Airbus has won 127 commitments for the A330neo jet and it projects demand to top 1,000 aircraft.
To help boost profit, Airbus has embarked on a wide scale restructuring, including integrating its defense and space units to help lift profitability. Those efforts are progressing well, Mr. Enders said.
As part of its restructuring plan, Airbus said it is studying disposal options for its nonvoting share in Dassault Aviation SA, AM.FR +1.66% the maker of business aircraft and the Rafale combat jet. Airbus has a 46% stake in the company. The French government has the right of first refusal on the disposal of some or all of the stake.
“We want to monetize that participation,” Mr. Enders said. “It is not a question of if it is a question of when,” he said. Airbus has faced investor pressure to shed the stake which Mr. Enders saying the company was “actively engaging” on the issue.
Airbus maintained its full-year guidance of moderate returns on sales growth this year while reaching 7% to 8% returns in 2015, not counting development costs of the A330neo. Those will crimp return on sales next year, the company said when it launched the project.
The world’s second-largest plane maker, like rival Boeing, relies heavily on titanium from Russia to make its jets. Mr. Enders said the company’s relationship for titanium raw material and forgings from VSMPO, the world’s biggest titanium supplier, is stable.
“I do not expect the flow of it will be cut off short of all-out war,” Mr. Enders told analysts on a call as the European Union imposes further sanctions on Russia over the country’s efforts to destabilize Ukraine. Airbus is exploring potential mitigation action to protect against supply disruptions.
Airbus’s newest long-range jetliner, the A350, is in its final test phase before regulators signoff on the design, clearing the way for the first jet to be delivered to lead-operator Qatar Airways Ltd. before year-end. “The A350 program remains challenging,” Airbus said in the statement, though certification for safety authorities remains on track for this quarter.
– WALLSTREET JOURNAL
An Air Peace flight from Lagos to Port Harcourt has suffered a disruption, after the aircraft was affected by a bird strike on arrival at the Port Harcourt International Airport.
The airline made the disclosure on Thursday in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Osifo-Whiskey Efe.
He added that the incident necessitated safety checks on the affected aircraft and the deployment of another aircraft to convey passengers on subsequent flights.
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“We deeply empathise with passengers affected by this unforeseen incident and are working diligently to minimise disruptions,” Efe said.
The latest incident adds to the growing challenge of bird strikes faced by local airlines.
In December 2025, Air Peace disclosed that it recorded 49 bird strikes across Nigeria between January and September, stressing that even a single strike could ground an aircraft for weeks.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the airline, Allen Onyema, had said on Arise TV that bird strikes constituted a major operational challenge, often leading to costly repairs and serious disruptions to flight schedules.
“One bird strike could cripple your aircraft for the next month. At that moment, there is no two ways about it. These bird strikes often lead to costly delays and serious disruptions in flight schedules,” he said.
He added that losses from such incidents compound other challenges facing Nigerian airlines, including heavy taxation and operational constraints.
With the firm belief that it is both sadistic and absolutely despicable, the recently announced outrageous hike in airfares to South East from Abuja to Lagos for Yuletide of 2025 by over 131 percent by Air Peace and United Nigeria Airlines, the owners have been asked to immediately have a rethink and review backward these harsh, toxic and unfriendly airfares targeting Igbo passengers exclusively.
Making the charge to the chairmen of Air Peace and United Nigeria airlines, Mr. Allen Ugochukwu and Mr. Obiora Okonkwo, the prominent civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) expressed anger that these businesses whose proprietors are Igbo by birth are fond of making it so difficult for hundreds of thousands of Igbo passengers residing outside of the South-East to travel home on Christmas festivities.
The rights group say that for many years now, because Air Peace and United Nigeria Airlines are monopolies and then Igbos have the tradition exclusively in Nigeria of going home to South East from all over the globe during Yuletides, these few airlines have decidedly fixed toxic ticketing airfares for Igbos whereas northerners who also travel during their religious festivities of salah are not subjected to such exploitative treatments.
The HURIWA accused the two airlines of price fixing, which is anti-competition just as the Rights group said it is giving these two Igbo-hating airlines to review backward their toxic and discriminatory airfares within ten working days from today or it will petition the federal government publicly funding consumer rights body[Federal Competition and Consumer Rights Commission) in Abuja.
The HURIWA wonders if these Igbo owners of private airlines known for making their planes available to government for free during emergencies are in a conspiratorial plots with haters of Igbo land who are unhappy at the convivial and happy atmospheres in the South East during Yuletide, just as the rights group has appealed to Igbo governors to immediately intervene and urge Mr. Allen Ugochukwu and Mr Obiora Okonkwo to treat the Igbo just as they treat for instance northern Muslims who also migrate home to northern Nigeria from around the globe during their Muslim festivities because what is good for the goose, is good for the gander.
The HURIWA said that if Air Peace Airlines have gotten involved in many humanitarian efforts of airlifting Nigerians from outside of our shores for free, it becomes of the Airline ought not to maltreat their clients of Igbo extraction.
The HURIWA quoted from the business official website of Air Peace in which it described its latest humanitarian effort to be an addition to a growing list of interventions by Dr. Allen Onyema and Air Peace.
Quoting Air Peace website, HURIWA stated that Air Peace said thus: “In 2019, the airline airlifted 503 Nigerians free of charge from South Africa amidst xenophobic attacks. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Air Peace conducted multiple repatriation flights. In 2022, the airline flew Nigerian evacuees out of war-torn Ukraine. In May 2023, Dr. Onyema again deployed Air Peace aircraft to evacuate 277 stranded Nigerians from Sudan.
As the rescued women prepare to begin a new chapter, supported by medical care and reintegration efforts, one truth stands out: Air Peace is more than just an airline — it is a bridge of hope for Nigerians in crisis, and a national symbol of empathy, courage and service,” HURIWA conclusively quoted Air Peace.
The HURIWA therefore strongly condemns the two airlines for hiking and fixing unaffordable airfares indiscriminately against Igbo passengers, even as the festive season draws near, Air Peace and United Nigeria Airlines have raised their return ticket fares to N677,000, a move that could add financial strain on travellers. The rise in airfares reflects the high demand expected during the holiday rush.
Key Points
Air Peace and United Nigeria increase return ticket fares to N677,000 for the yuletide season.
Airfares on routes to the South-East, including Enugu and Anambra, experience the highest surge.
Ibom Air offers comparatively cheaper tickets, with return fares at N381,600.
Air Peace’s one-way fare for December to January peaks at N350,500.
United Nigeria will also charge N350,500 for select routes between December 11 and the end of the year.
Northern routes, including Lagos-Kano, face smaller increases, with fares starting from N106,900.
Experts predict even higher airfares, with one-way tickets possibly reaching N500,000.
The rise in flight prices signals the start of a challenging holiday travel season, with airfares higher than usual due to increased demand. Travelers must be prepared for the surge, with some routes seeing even higher fare projections.
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The HURIWA is hereby warning the two airlines to withdraw their price fixing malpractices against Igbos or else the Rights group would seek justice and redress for the millions of Igbos who would return home for the 2025 Yuletide from the Federal Competition and Consumer Rights Commission and the National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria. The HURIWA threatened to drag the two airlines to the Nigerian President through the Honourable Minister of Aviation and Transportation.
An Abuja-Accra flight experienced technical difficulties mid-air on Friday, forcing it to return to Abuja, shortly after departure.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Board (NSIB) made the disclosure in a statement, adding that it has launched investigation into what it described as a serious accident.
Director, Public Affairs and Family Assistance, NSIB, Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji stated that preliminary investigations revealed the aircraft experienced an engine number two indication issue.
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It was gathered that the aircraft, with registration number 5NKAL which was operating a flight from the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja (DNAA), to Kotoka International Airport, Accra (DGAA).
She explained that four persons were onboard when the incident occurred. The crew immediately requested for a diversion back to Abuja due to the engine indication.
Oladeji added that the crew managed to safely land the aircraft at Abuja Airport at 18:16 UTC.
There were no injuries reported, and all individuals on board are safe.
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