Avolon Reinforces with Major 90-Aircraft Airbus Order

In July 2025 the Dublin-based aircraft lessor Avolon ordered 90 Airbus aircraft: 75 A321neo single-aisle jets and 15 A330neo wide-body jets. The order, announced on 24 July, takes Avolon's Airbus commitments to 413 aircraft. This page covers the order details, the aircraft involved and why a lessor placing an order like this tells you something about the market.

The order in numbers

The figures below come from Airbus and Avolon's press release.

• Firm order: 75 A321neo and 15 A330neo.
• Extra rights: purchase rights for a further 25 A321neo and options on 15 more A330neo.
• Deliveries: scheduled out to 2033.
• Total Airbus commitments: 413 aircraft, all of them A320neo family or A330neo.
• A320neo family: 145 delivered and 358 more committed, including this order.
• A330neo: Avolon was a launch customer in 2014, has 33 in service and 55 on order.
• Fleet size: a committed fleet of 1,166 aircraft serving airlines in 60 countries.

The aircraft

Airbus says the A321neo cuts fuel burn and CO2 by 20 percent compared with the previous generation, can carry up to 244 passengers and has a range of about 7,400 km. The A330neo is a long-haul wide-body with a range of more than 13,300 km and, according to Airbus, 25 percent lower fuel use and CO2 than the previous generation. The two types complement each other: the A321neo fills busy medium-haul routes, the A330neo serves long-haul routes where a 787 or A350 would be too large. For a deeper look at the narrowbody family, see our guide to the A320neo family and our report on engine problems affecting some A320neo aircraft.

Why lessors matter

Lessors own about half of the world's commercial airliners. They buy aircraft in bulk, then lease them to airlines for a fixed term. That lets an airline add capacity without paying the full purchase price up front. Airbus's Executive Vice President of Sales, Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, described lessors like Avolon as excellent barometers of the aircraft market, because they only order what they believe airlines will want to lease for years. Avolon CEO Andy Cronin said the order shows strong confidence in long-term demand for new aircraft.

Orders of this kind also reflect a supply problem. New narrowbody deliveries have been constrained by engine and supply chain issues, so a lessor with delivery slots to 2033 holds something airlines struggle to get elsewhere.

What it means for the rest of the industry

Each lease deal brings work for maintenance providers, parts suppliers, aviation finance firms and leasing companies. Avolon is listed in our directory as Avolon, and Airbus has its own page.

How aircraft leasing works

In an operating lease, the lessor buys the aircraft and the airline pays monthly rent for a fixed term, often several years, then returns it. The lessor takes the risk that the aircraft will hold its value and can be leased again. In a sale and leaseback, an airline sells aircraft it already owns to a lessor and rents them back, which releases cash. Lessors also trade aircraft among themselves and sell older ones to other owners or to parts businesses.

A lessor that orders directly from the manufacturer secures delivery slots, which are scarce when order books are full. It can then place those aircraft with airlines that need to grow or replace older types. This is why the size of a lessor's order book is a useful signal of what the industry expects.

What being a launch customer means

A launch customer is one of the first buyers to commit to a new aircraft programme. Avolon took that role on the A330neo in 2014. Launch customers help the manufacturer finance development, and in return they usually get early delivery slots and some influence on specification.

Frequently asked questions

How many aircraft did Avolon order?

90 firm orders: 75 A321neo and 15 A330neo, plus rights and options for 40 more.

Does Avolon fly the aircraft itself?

No. Avolon is a lessor. It owns aircraft and leases them to airlines.

Does Avolon only buy Airbus?

No. It also buys Boeing aircraft, but its Airbus commitments are now 413 aircraft.