CIT orders more Airbuses

CIT Group Inc., a provider of commercial and consumer finance solutions, has ordered five Airbus A350-800s and 24 A320 Family aircraft.



Deliveries of the A320 family will begin in 2007, and those of the newly designed A350s in 2012, Airbus said in a statement.



CIT's selection of the A350 takes total commitments for the new Airbus model to 130 aircraft from eight customers.



"We chose the Airbus A350 after extensive analysis, because it will offer airlines new standards in performance and economics, together with unmatched passenger appeal," says CIT Aerospace president Jeffrey Knittel.



"Additionally, market demand is consistently high for Airbus' A320 Family, which continues to perform exceptionally well with our clients around the world, so we wanted to buy more of them."



CIT's latest order takes its Airbus aircraft portfolio to more than 100 aircraft, making it one of the European manufacturer's largest leasing-company customers. Its portfolio already includes A319s, A320s, A321s and A330s.



"Leasing companies such as CIT have the vision to look far into the future, excellent financial resources, and a global outlook, so their selection of the new Airbus A350 points to a great future," says Airbus President and CEO Gustav Humbert.



"CIT's repeat order also highlights the continuing strong demand for our best-selling A320 Family - still the benchmark in single-aisle aircraft innovation."



The Airbus A350 features 60 per cent advanced weight-saving materials, fuel-saving new-generation engines, and valuable savings in training and operation through cockpit-commonality with today's A330/A340 family, the manufacturer said.