AWAS Revealed As Buyer Of 15 Airbus Aircraft

Irish leasing company AWAS has been disclosed as the purchaser of 15 current-generation A320-family aircraft from Airbus.

Airbus said the Dublin-based lessor had placed an order for 12 A320ceo and three A321ceo aircraft, with a combined list price of USD$1.5 billion.

The purchase, under new AWAS chief executive David Siegel, appears to mark a change of emphasis at the leasing firm, which has generally been cautious in recent years about buying directly from manufacturers, citing long waiting times for aircraft.

It has tended instead to buy from other lessors or through sale-and-leaseback deals with airlines.