Avolon has placed a firm order for 35 Airbus A330-900s and 75 A320neo Family aircraft, a deal that expands one of the largest portfolios held by an aircraft leasing company.
The new purchase takes Avolon's total orders for the A330-900 to 114 aircraft. Airbus says this makes the company the largest lessor customer for the widebody. Avolon has also ordered around 650 A320 Family aircraft over the course of its relationship with the manufacturer.
Avolon did not disclose delivery dates for the new aircraft. The company said the agreement extends its delivery pipeline well into the next decade. A previous order for 75 A321neos and 15 A330-900s, announced in 2025, included deliveries through 2033.
Before Thursday's announcement, Avolon already had 320 Airbus aircraft left to receive. Airbus data through September lists 449 orders from the company and 129 deliveries.
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“We continue to see strong demand for new aircraft,” Avolon CEO Andy Cronin said. He expects demand for both families to remain strong due to airline fleet growth and replacement requirements.
Lessors hold 16% of Airbus backlog
Avolon's latest purchase comes amid long waits for new commercial aircraft. Airbus had 9,310 jets in its backlog at the end of September, with production slots for some models extending into the next decade.
Leasing companies accounted for 1,515 of those aircraft, or 16.3% of the total. Airbus records show 5,874 orders from lessors and 4,359 deliveries since the beginning of its commercial aircraft programs.
Their backlog is heavily concentrated in narrowbody aircraft. Lessors were waiting for 1,454 single-aisle jets at the end of September. The total included 1,016 A321neos and 369 A320neos.
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Widebody numbers were much smaller. Only 51 A330s ordered directly by leasing companies remained in the backlog, alongside 10 A350s. The 35 A330-900s ordered by Avolon therefore represent a substantial increase in lessor commitments to the A330neo.
Direct orders do not reveal the full size of the leasing business. Lessors also acquire aircraft initially ordered by airlines through sale-and-leaseback transactions and purchase used jets or complete portfolios from other owners.
