Mega order for small planes: Airbus has few takers for super-jumbo but inks major A320 deal

While European aircraft maker Airbus struggles to find new buyers for its A380 super-jumbo, the company has inked its biggest single order for its smaller A320neo family of aircraft at the Dubai Air Show.

Announcing the deal on Wednesday (15 November), Airbus said US investment firm Indigo Partners would be buying 430 aircraft A320s worth $49.5bn (£37.6bn) on catalogue prices, though a bulk-buy order of this size would carry discounts.

"Regretfully, Indigo will not be paying $49.5bn," said Airbus sale chief John Leahy when asked about any possible discounts.

Indigo's aircraft leasing interests include European budget carrier Wizz Air, in which it is a shareholder, along with Chile's JetSmart, USA's Frontier, and Mexico's Volaris airlines.

The despite the mega-order, celebrations at Airbus would be muted as the aircraft maker has failed to attract a single buyer for the A380 in Dubai, having been snubbed by the model's biggest buyer Emirates.

The Gulf super-connector has hinted, along with many of its peers, that it sees the future in smaller more efficient aircraft. So it appeared to snub Airbus on Sunday, and decided to purchase 40 American-made Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners in $15.1bn deal that's certain to please US President Donald Trump who has touted the plane's sales as a job creator in America.

And Boeing continues to enjoy a commercially successful Dubai Air Show with its smaller planes as well.

In near tandem with Airbus, Boeing announced an order from budget airline flydubai for 225 medium-haul 737 MAX aircraft with a list price of $27bn, hailing it as the "largest-ever single-aisle jet order" from a Middle East carrier.