Airbus A330neo best fit for Asian travel demand, Avolon says

Avolon, the aircraft-leasing company acquired by the parent of China’s Hainan Airlines, is in talks with carriers keen to add Airbus Group SE’s A330neo to their fleets and may increase orders for the new wide-body jet as Asian travel demand spikes. “We’ve been in discussions with Airbus, as we place more, we may order more," CEO Domhnal Slattery said, without identifying the carriers he’s engaging with. China will become the “single-most important market” for plane-leasing companies over the next five years, with the A330neo suited for Asia as intra-continental and longer haul flights proliferate, Slattery said. Avolon, bought by China’s Bohai Financial Investment Holding Co. for $7.6b in January, has 15 of the new Airbus wide-body planes on order. Avolon has also purchased 45 of the 75 current-model A330 that China ordered last year, a deal that helped Airbus bridge the gap as it moves from the existing model to a variant with more fuel-efficient engines that will enter service in 2017. <br/>