Story ID: 567
Paris Order Frenzy Loses Steam 
By: Gregory Polek
Caption: Boeing leads activity on Day 3 though there was none of the frenzied activity of Monday and Tuesday.
Word Count: 396
Orders and commitments for airliners at the Paris Air Show on Wednesday finally began to taper, but given the pace at which sales had accumulated during the first two days of the show, a slowdown seemed inevitable. In fact, the frequency of announcements did relent, as did the relative size and value of the contracts.

By late afternoon Boeing had one firm order, Airbus had signed for two, while the rest of the world’s airframers on hand in Paris fell almost quiet in terms of commercial announcements.

For its part, Airbus landed a firm order for 10 IAE V2500-powered A321s from Hungary’s Wizz Air. Valued at $1.16 billion at list prices, the contract calls for first deliveries in 2018. Airbus also sold two A330-200s to Portuguese wet lease specialist Hi Fly. It marked Hi Fly's first direct order from the European airframer.

Meanwhile, Boeing’s only firm order came from Israel’s El Al, which signed for two 787-8s and a single 787-9, firming a commitment originally announced in 2015. Boeing values the order at $729 million based on list prices.

Once again, the bulk of Wednesday’s contracts involved single-aisle airplanes, and again Boeing’s 737 Max 10 drew headlines, leading with a 10-aircraft MOU with Xiamen Airlines worth $1.2 billion. Boeing said it will work closely with the airline and “relevant stakeholders” to finalize the agreement, which requires the approval of Xiamen Airlines’ board of directors, the China Southern Airlines Company’s board of directors and the Chinese Government.

Separately, another Chinese carrier, Donghai Airlines, opted to convert an earlier order for 10 smaller Max jets to 10 Max 10s, as did Malaysia Airlines, while Panama's Copa Airlines converted an order for 15. All four new Max customers join a group of 10 companies that helped launch the Max 10 at the show.

Still more Max business came in the form of an MOU from Air Lease Corporation covering five Max 7s and seven Max 8s. One of the first leasing companies to order any member of the 737 Max family, Air Lease now counts 130 Max jets in its orderbook. Boeing also identified a previously undisclosed customer Wednesday for one Max 8 as Mauritania Airlines. 

Finally, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft inked a letter of intent with CemAir of South Africa for the sale of two Q400 airliners.