Airbus nets $25b of plane orders at Farnborough

European aircraft maker Airbus won orders for its passenger planes from leasing companies worth about $25 billion at the Farnborough airshow on Tuesday, far outpacing its US rival Boeing.

Airbus won memoranda of understanding for its new long-haul A330-900neo, which was launched at Farnborough on Monday, as well as a major contract from Japanese aircraft leasing company SMBC Aviation Capital.

It sealed a sale also with a Bank of China leasing company -- helping to bring Airbus' total orders for the day to about $25 billion (18.5 billion euros).

Among Boeing's orders was a $3.9 billion deal to sell planes to US group Air Lease Corporation.

SMBC Aviation Capital meanwhile said it had signed an order for 115 single-aisle A320 Airbus planes costing $11.7 billion.

"This new order is the industry's largest ever single firm order by a worldwide leasing company for single-aisle aircraft," SMBC said in a statement.

"This is a landmark order for SMBC Aviation Capital and indeed for the wider aircraft leasing industry, and I am delighted to be continuing the close and long-standing relationship that our business enjoys with Airbus," said SMBC chief executive Peter Barrett.

BOC Aviation, the Singapore-based aircraft leasing subsidiary of Bank of China, announced an order for 43 A320 planes worth $4.1 billion at Farnborough.

"It's great to see one of the world's leading lessors, BOC Aviation, based in the fast growing Asian market, continuing to invest in our market leading A320 family," said Airbus president Fabrice Bregier.

US leasing company CIT said it planned to buy 15 A330-900neo planes and five short-haul A321 jets for a combined value of $4.67 billion.

"These new aircraft will allow CIT to maintain one of the youngest and most technologically advanced fleets in the industry, while providing fuel efficient aircraft solutions to our customers through a range of sizes and categories of aircraft," said Jeff Knittel, president of CIT Transportation and International Finance.

Dublin-based leasing company Avolon said it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding for 15 A330neo aircraft worth $4.12 billion.

On Monday, Airbus had launched the eagerly-awaited upgrade of its long-haul A330 passenger jet -- the A330neo -- to meet rising demand for cheaper, more fuel-efficient travel.

The decision to upgrade the A330 with new Rolls-Royce engines was announced on the first day of the Farnborough airshow, a key biennial event in the aviation calendar held near London.

Also on Monday, US-based Air Lease Corporation announced a firm order for 60 single-aisle Airbus A321neo planes worth $7.23 billion at list prices.

On Tuesday, Boeing said that Air Lease had ordered 26 of its passenger jets in a deal worth $3.9 billion.

Air Lease is buying six long-haul 777-300ER jets and has confirmed an order for 20 single-aisle 737 MAX 8 planes.

"Additional 777-300ER and 737 MAX airplanes in our portfolio provide the economics and passenger-pleasing experiences our airline customers require," said Air Lease chief executive Steven Udvar-Hazy.

"The 777 has maintained a broad customer base and will continue to do so well into the future. The 737 MAX represents game changing efficiencies and improvements for the environment in the single-aisle market," he added.

Boeing also said that US leasing company Intrepid Aviation had ordered six 777-300ERs valued at $1.9 billion and has an option to buy four more.

Brazilian group Embraer, the world's third largest commercial planemaker, has won an order worth $2.4 billion for 50 regional jets from US airlines-owner Trans States Holdings during the Farnborough show.

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Brazil's Embraer wins US$2.4b deal for 50 regional jets

Brazilian aerospace giant Embraer on Monday announced that it had won an order worth US$2.4 billion for 50 regional jets from US airlines-owner Trans States Holdings.

"Embraer... has received an order for 50 E175-E2 jets from Trans States Holdings, parent company of Trans States Airlines, Compass Airlines and GoJet Airlines," said a statement issued during the Farnborough airshow near London.

"The order, which is valued at approximately US$2.4 billion (1.76 billion euros) at list prices, is subject to certain conditions," it added.

The agreement includes options for an additional 50 aircraft. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in June 2020.

"The improved performance and cost savings technologies the E2 will bring to the marketplace will enhance Trans States Holdings' ability to provide industry-leading solutions in fuel burn, maintenance costs, environmental impact and performance through cutting-edge technological advancements to our major airline customers," said Richard A. Leach, president of Trans States Holdings.

Embraer, the world's third largest commercial planemaker, launched its more fuel-efficient E2 series last year.

"The E175-E2 is proving to be the preferred aircraft for North American carriers as they confirm their future fleet requirements for the next decade," Paulo Cesar Silva, chief executive of Embraer's commercial aviation division, said Monday.

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Aviation sector flies into Farnborough at cruising speed

Aircraft makers gathering for the Farnborough airshow this week look to build on already robust passenger plane sales, and Airbus may use the event to launch an upgrade of its A330 jet.

"Manufacturers are showing particularly high order books," equal to more than eight years of plane production, noted Alain Guillot, an aerospace analyst at consultants AlixPartners.

But the biennial Farnborough International Air Show, south-west of London, could see a slowdown in orders compared with previous record years, even though the industry is far from threatened.

The US group Boeing, which typically goes head-to-head with its European rival Airbus at Farnborough, forecast Thursday that global passenger numbers would grow by 5.0 percent annually over the next 20 years.

Boeing said airlines would need almost 37,000 new planes over the same period to meet the rising demand -- suggesting that some spectacular orders could be unveiled between now and 2034.

According to Guillot, the sector is at a mature stage regarding aircraft development programmes.

In the absence of truly new technologies or revolutionary materials -- such as light-weight carbon composites used in new fuel-efficient planes -- the launch of a brand new passenger jet is not envisaged before five to seven years.

This has left Airbus and Boeing to modernise current models, which they are doing with their respective medium-haul A320 and 737 planes. Brazil's Embraer has meanwhile launched the E2, a new version of its regional E-jets series, which could see new orders this week.

Regarding modernisation of long-haul planes, Boeing launched in November the 777X, a new version of its jumbo that seats between 350 and 450 passengers. Sector watchers are now looking to see if Airbus will proceed with the A330neo, providing the long-standing A330 with a more fuel-efficient engine.

Airbus chief executive Fabrice Bregier last week said a decision to re-engine the A330 would be made "before the end of the year", and the chance of an announcement is on the industry's radar at Farnborough.

In service since 1993, Airbus has sold about 1,300 A330s, of which the vast majority are still in service. It is thought that the A330neo could potentially sell more than 1,000 units, according to Bregier.

Addison Schonland of US consultants AirInsights believes the launch of the A330neo would be a good response to Boeing's 787 Dreamliner.

"Airbus can price the A330neo far below the 787 and keep its customers happy," he told AFP.

"For instance we think the A330neo could provide about 75 percent of the performance of the 787 at 50 percent of the price. Of course this makes it attractive, plus it's lower risk because it has a lot less high technology."

Even without the neo model, Airbus can count on its A350, due to enter service at the end of the year, and expected to make flypasts at Farnborough.

Using composite materials, the A350 is another rival for the Dreamliner. Qatar Airways, launch-customer of the A350, plans to unveil its plane's interior at the show.

While Farnborough focuses mainly on civilian aircraft, there is also room for the military sector to showcase latest plane models. But Farnborough might miss out on the US F-35 fighter jet -- which would be a blow to organisers.

The first international appearance of the furtive F-35, set for Britain last Friday, was cancelled as the plane remains grounded in the United States, in an embarrassing setback for the costly programme.

It had been due to take part in a British military aviation display, the Royal International Air Tattoo, ahead of its formal presentation at Farnborough.

Lorraine Martin, general manager of the F-35 programme at US defence firm Lockheed Martin, said she still hoped the planes would make it to the airshow.

Both the US Air Force and Navy have ordered a halt to all F-35 flights following a June 23 engine fire on one of the planes, which at US$400 billion (300 billion euros) is most expensive weapons project in US history.

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Boeing, Embraer to open joint biofuel research centre

US aerospace giant Boeing and Brazil's Embraer said on Monday they will open a joint research centre in Brazil to develop a sustainable biofuel for the aviation industry.

The research "will focus on technologies that address gaps in a supply chain for sustainable aviation biofuel in Brazil, such as feedstock production and processing technologies," the companies said in a statement.

When produced in sustainable ways, aviation biofuels, made from renewable resources such as plants, significantly reduce carbon emissions.

The two companies estimated aviation biofuel emits 50 to 80 percent less carbon through its lifecycle than petroleum jet fuel.

Globally, more than 1,500 passenger flights using biofuel have been conducted since the fuel was approved for use in 2011, they noted.

The research centre will be located in Sao Jose dos Campos, an industrial and research hub in southeastern Brazil where Embraer is based.

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Asian carriers lift Singapore Airshow deals to new high

Singapore Airshow organisers on Friday announced a record high of more than US$32 billion in deals as Asian carriers ordered more aircraft to meet explosive demand for cheap, short-range travel.

European manufacturer Airbus accounted for nearly half of the total, with almost US$15 billion worth of orders for its popular A320 single-aisle plane and flagship A380 superjumbo.

The total figure beats the previous record of US$31 billion set during the 2012 edition of the biennial event, and was more than triple the US$10 billion spent in 2010.

It is Asia's largest combined aviation and defence show, with more than 1,000 exhibitors from 47 countries participating.

Trade days ended Friday and the exhibition will be open to the public over the weekend.

- Growth driver -

Emerging Asian carriers were the stars of the airshow, forging deals that underscored the region's importance as the growth driver of global aviation.

Jimmy Lau, managing director of Experia Events which organised the airshow, predicted an "upward trend" for smaller aircraft plying domestic routes.

"The people who will be likely making good inroads are (firms such as) Embraer and Bombardier who will be selling their regional jets to countries like Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia," Lau said during a press conference.

Airbus received its first order of the year for the double-decker A380, the world's biggest passenger plane, when British-based leasing firm Amedeo signed an US$8.3 billion deal for 20 of the aircraft.

The purchase agreement put Airbus on track to meet its target of 30 orders for the A380 in 2014.

Airbus had suffered some setbacks last year with the discovery of cracks on some of the giant jetliners' wings.

Airbus also won an order for 63 A320 jets worth US$6.4 billion from fledgling Vietnamese budget carrier VietJetAir.

Apart from the firm orders, the deal covered rights for VietJetAir to acquire or lease 38 more A320s, potentially boosting its current fleet of 11 tenfold.

Airbus also used the event to showcase the new generation A350-XWB wide-body aircraft to Asian buyers. It is on track to come into service at the end of the year.

US rival Boeing secured a commitment from Thai budget carrier Nok Air to buy 15 single-aisle B737s worth US$1.45 billion.

Myanmar's national carrier Myanma Airways signed a deal to lease 10 Boeing 737s that will ply international routes as the once-reclusive country opens up further to the outside world.

Brazilian manufacturer Embraer sprang a surprise when it announced a firm order for 50 of its E-Jets E2 aircraft worth US$2.94 billion from Indian carrier Air Costa, which began operations only in October last year.

The deal with Air Costa also includes purchase rights for 50 more of the aircraft, which can seat between 70 and 130 passengers.

Airline executives say many smaller cities in Asia remain underserved despite the rapid growth in budget air travel, and they will use the new planes to connect such destinations to metropolitan centres.

Economists said Asia's expanding middle class is driving demand following years of steady economic growth in the region.

The United States, which was this year's featured country and showcased both defence and commercial products,said it was satisfied with the results.

"The visitors here are serious about seeking American technology, quality -- and potential partners. These are the customers that change business for our exhibitors and the reason why so many American businesses of all sizes come to this show," said Tom Kallman, who managed the US pavilion at the event.

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Emerging Asian carriers make presence felt with plane deals

Emerging Asian carriers made their presence felt at a major airshow on Thursday with multibillion-dollar deals that underscored the region's importance as the growth driver of global aviation.

Four relatively small Asian carriers already had a combined order book of more than $11 billion halfway into the six-day Singapore Airshow, with smaller planes as their preference.

Airline executives said many smaller cities in Asia remain underserved despite the explosive growth in budget air travel, and they will use the new planes to connect such destinations to metropolitan centres.

Asia's expanding middle class is driving demand, said Song Seng Wun, regional economist with Malaysian bank CIMB.

"It's really a function of regional economies experiencing spending power of the rising middle class which benefited from so many years of steady growth," Song told AFP.

In the latest deal, Indian carrier Air Costa on Thursday ordered 50 E-Jets E2 aircraft, which can seat 70-130 passengers, from Brazilian manufacturer Embraer worth $2.94 billion.

The deal with Air Costa, which began operations only four months ago, also includes purchase rights for 50 more of the aircraft, both companies announced at the show.

With the orders, Air Costa will become the first customer of the E-Jet E2 in the Indian market when it takes delivery of the first plane in 2018.

Thai budget carrier Nok Air also on Thursday firmed up orders for two Q400 86-seater planes from Canada's Bombardier worth $63 million.

Nok Air indicated it may buy six more depending on its needs.

The Singapore Airshow began Tuesday with an order by Vietnamese budget carrier VietJetAir for 63 Airbus A320 jets worth $6.4 billion.

The deal also covered rights to acquire or lease 38 more A320s, potentially boosting VietJetAir's current fleet of 11 A320s tenfold.

The Vietnamese airline, founded only in 2011, plies domestic routes as well as services to Bangkok, Seoul and Kunming in China with its current fleet of leased planes.

In another deal, US aicraft maker Boeing on Wednesday announced that Nok Air had committed to buy 15 B737s worth $1.45 billion.

Bangkok Airways, which brands itself as a "boutique carrier" that flies to selected tourist destinations, on Wednesday also signed up to buy six 72-600s from European plane-maker ATR in a deal worth $150 million.

Air Costa executives said they would use the E-Jets E2 aircraft from Embraer to serve smaller Indian cities.

"Our focus has been the tier-two and tier-three cities in India," Air Costa chief financial officer Vivek Choudhary told a media briefing Thursday.

"Our philosophy is that we believe that 70 per cent of the population, of the huge 1.2 billion population in India, still reside in these non-metros," he added.

"Basically we are linking the metros to the smaller cities."

Choudhary said the carrier expects the air transport sector in India to grow dramatically in the next 15 to 20 years.

"The huge size of the middle class in India and the profitability levels that are going up adds to the demand in air travel," he added.

Nok Air chief executive Patee Sarasin said his airline was looking to expand into Myanmar following the opening up of the formerly army-ruled state.

"I think Myanmar has really stepped up," Patee told reporters after firming up the two jet orders with Bombardier.

"We think it's a beautiful country and we see a high potential that Myanmar will grow very fast," he said.

"I am sure within the next few years we are going to see Myanmar growing as fast as Vietnam."

Economist Song said such new markets were an "added bonus" as even without them demand for travel in Asia was robust.

"Frontier markets are an added bonus," he said. "Even without the likes of Myanmar, demand continues to grow."

Airbus, Boeing and Embraer -- in their 20-year forecasts for the industry -- all said the Asia Pacific is the key market to enter because of the burgeoning middle class.

Embraer's president and chief executive Paulo Cesar Silva said passenger traffic in the region "is mostly composed by secondary markets with low and medium demand densities of up to 300 passengers daily each way".

"Some 60 per cent of those markets are not served nonstop, and around half of all markets served do not allow for same day return travel," he said.

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Embraer gets US$2.94b order from India's Air Costa

Indian carrier Air Costa on Thursday ordered 50 E-Jets E2 aircraft from Brazilian manufacturer Embraer worth US$2.94 billion, both companies announced.

The deal with Air Costa also includes purchase rights for 50 more of the aircraft, they said at the Singapore Airshow.

With the orders, Air Costa will become the first customer of the E-Jet E2 in the Indian market when it takes the first delivery in 2018, Embraer, the world's third largest commercial aircraft manufacturer, said in a statement.

Air Costa executives said they would use the jets to fly routes in secondary and tertiary markets in India.

Air Costa is part of India's LEPL Group, a diversified company with interests in property and infrastructure development.

The airline started operations in October last year serving several second-tier Indian cities.

The E-Jets E2 aircraft family can seat between 70 and 130 passengers.

"Our focus has been the tier-two and tier-three cities in India," Air Costa chief financial officer Vivek Choudhary told a media briefing.

"Our philosophy is that we believe that 70 per cent of the population, of the huge 1.2 billion population in India, still reside in these non-metros," he added.

"And that is where we feel we need to add value and capitalise on the market... basically we are linking the metros to the smaller cities."

Choudhary said the carrier expected the air transport sector in India to grow at "approximately 15 per cent on a cumulative average for the next 15 to 20 years".

"The huge size of the middle class in India and the profitability levels that are going up adds to the demand in air travel," he added.

Air Costa chairman Ramesh Lingamaneni brushed off concerns that airport infrastructure in the second-tier Indian cities the carrier is targeting may not be up to scratch.

"There is no question on the infrastructure... They (the government) have given a lot of support."

The past two days of the airshow, which runs until Sunday, had been dominated by orders for aircraft from Europe's Airbus and its US rival Boeing.

On Wednesday, Airbus said it received its first order of the year for its flagship A380 superjumbo when leasing firm Amedeo signed an US$8.3 billion deal for 20 of the aircraft.

At the start of the airshow on Tuesday, fledgling carrier VietJetAir also ordered 63 Airbus A320 jets worth US$6.4 billion.

Boeing on Wednesday announced that Thai budget carrier Nok Air had committed to buy 15 B737s worth US$1.45 billion.

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Brazil's Embraer meets jet delivery targets for 2013

Brazil's top aircraft manufacturer Embraer said on Wednesday said it met its aircraft delivery targets for 2013 following strong sales in the fourth quarter.

A company statement said a total of 209 aircraft were delivered, including 90 commercial jets and 119 light and large executive jets.

The company had set delivery targets of between 90 and 95 commercial aircraft, 80 and to 90 light executive jets and 25 to 30 larger executive jets.

Embraer, based in Sao Jose dos Campos near Sao Paulo, said its order backlog stood at US$18.2 billion the end of 2013.

The strong performance in the fourth quarter included a huge order for 60 E175 jets from American Airlines in a contract valued at US$2.5 billion.

Embraer last month said the deal includes an option for American Airlines to buy another 90 E175s, which could bring the total order to 150 aircraft.

Embraer is the world's third largest commercial aircraft manufacturer behind Boeing and Airbus.

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Mozambique airline captain "intentionally" crashed: probe

A Mozambican Airlines captain had a "clear intention" to crash an airplane that went down in Namibia killing 33 at the end of November, according to a preliminary investigation reported on Saturday.

Flight recorders showed flight TM470 went down on November 29 while Captain Herminio dos Santos Fernandes manipulated the Embraer 190's autopilot in a way which "denotes a clear intention" to bring the plane down, said Mozambican Civil Aviation Institute (IACM) head Joao Abreu.

"The reason for all these actions is unknown and the investigation continues," said Abreu.

The plane went down in torrential rains in the swamps of Namibia's Bwabwata National Park on November 29, killing its six crew and 27 passengers.

It was flying from the Mozambican capital Maputo to Luanda in Angola.

Abreu told a news conference that Dos Santos Fernandes locked himself inside the cockpit, ignored warning signals and did not allow his co-pilot back in moments before the Embraer 190 hit the ground.

"During these actions you can hear low and high-intensity alarm signals and repeated beating against the door with demands to come into the cockpit," he was quoted as saying by state news agency AIM.

The altitude was manually changed three times from 38 thousand feet to 592 feet - below ground level - and the aircraft's speed was also changed manually, according to the preliminary report.

"The plane fell with the pilot alert and the reasons which may have given rise to this behaviour are unknown. At the time, the co-pilot had left the cockpit and was absent while everything happened."

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American Airlines orders 90 jets from Embraer, Bombardier

American Airlines kicked off its freshly minted status as the world's largest carrier on Thursday with an aggressive order for $3.9 billion worth of regional jets from Brazil's Embraer and Canada's Bombardier.

Three days after completing its merger with US Airways, the new American said it had inked deals to buy 30 CJR900 NextGen aircraft from Bombardier, and 60 Embraer E175s.

Bombardier said its deal was worth $1.42 billion, while Embraer put a $2.5 billion value on its order.

American also has options to buy an additional 40 CJR900s and 90 E175s.

American said the 76-seat regional jets ordered will replace less efficient 50-seat jets it currently operates on short- and medium-haul flights.

They will all be flown under the American Eagle regional brand.

The CJR900s, which will be delivered beginning in the second quarter of next year, will be configured with 12 first-class seats, 32 "main cabin extra" seats and 32 regular seats, American said.

The E175s, the first of which will arrive in the first quarter of 2015, will have 12 first-class, 20 main cabin extra and 44 regular seats.

All of the aircraft will be powered by General Electric CF34-8 engines, American said.

"Now that we've closed our merger with US Airways, we can deliver a top-tier regional product that offers a first-class cabin, main cabin extra and in-flight wi-fi -- important elements of an improved flying experience for our customers," said Kenji Hashimoto, American's senior vice president for regional carriers.

The new aircraft "will greatly improve economic efficiencies by lowering operating costs," he said in a statement.

Including this latest order from American Airlines, Embraer, the world's third-largest commercial aircraft manufacturer behind Boeing and Airbus, said it has received orders and options for more than 700 E-jets from US airlines this year.

Paulo Cesar Silva, president and chief executive of Embraer Commercial Aviation, hailed the "remarkable order" from American.

"American achieved impressive results with the ERJ145 aircraft family, and we are sure that will continue with the E175," he said.

Mike Arcamone, president of Bombardier Commercial Aircraft, said the CJR900 offers major cost savings on fuel and a lower environmental impact, which with its "outstanding" cabin amenities, are "all core priorities for today's competitive airlines".

The order is the first announced after American completed on Monday its merger with US Airways, a combination that made it the world's largest carrier.

The merger came after the two agreed to give up a number of slots and other rights at several US airports to satisfy the concerns of US antitrust authorities who feared the new American would over-consolidate the power of the country's top four carriers and hurt consumer choice.

It also came as American itself emerges from bankruptcy reorganisation.

The $11 billion merger was first announced in February, but was held up by an antitrust lawsuit from the US government and backed by several states, worried about the combined airline's potential monopoly power.

The shares of the new American, which began trading Monday on the Nasdaq exchange under the AAL symbol, were up 1.7 percent at $26.44 in early trade Thursday.

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Mozambique plane wreck found in Namibia, all 33 people on board dead

Police on Saturday found the burned wreckage of a missing Mozambican Airlines plane in a remote area in northeastern Namibia, saying none of the 33 people from several countries aboard had survived the crash.

"My team on the ground have found the wreckage. No survivors. The plane is totally burned," said Willie Bampton, a regional police coordinator in the Kavango region.

The plane, en route from Mozambique to Angola, went down in remote terrain in the Bwabwata National Park, where Namibia turns into a narrow strip of land sandwiched between Botswana and Angola.

In Maputo, Mozambican Airlines, LAM, had issued a statement revising the passenger list down to 27, rather than the 28 earlier reported, along with the six crew members.

The statement said the 33 included 10 were Mozambicans, nine Angolans, five Portuguese, one French national, one Brazilian and one Chinese.

LAM flight TM470 took off from Maputo at 0926 GMT Friday and had been due to land in the capital Luanda at 1310 GMT, but never arrived.

Last contact with the place came around 1130 GMT when it was over north Namibia.

Namibia police sent a search team to the area after Botswana officials alerted them of a plane crash in the area.

"Botswana officials informed us that they saw smoke in the air and they thought the crash happened in their country, but when they came to the border they realised that it was in Namibia," Bampton said.

Villagers in the area told police they had heard explosions.

Namibian authorities have not yet said as to the possible cause of the crash and the country's cabinet was on Saturday holding an emergency meeting over the accident.

The search for the plane was hampered both by the rough terrain and torrential rains pounding the area where the plane, a Brazilian-made Embraer 190, went missing Friday, Bampton told AFP.

"There are no proper roads, you have to go through the bush slowly and it’s making our job difficult," he said.

Before confirmation of the crash, people close to those on board gathered at Maputo airport, many frustrated at what they said was the lack of information.

"They told us it was a forced landing. I know it's a crash," said Luis Paolo, a friend of one of what were said to be two Portuguese businessmen on board the flight.

The Bwabwata National Park, a 6,100-square-kilometre (2,355 square mile) reserve, is a sparsely-populated area covered by wetlands and dense forests.

The European Union banned the Mozambican airline, known by the acronym LAM, from flying in its airspace in 2011.

"Significant safety deficiencies" led to the blacklisting of all air carriers certified in Mozambique, the EU said at the time.

The concern was about Mozambique's civil aviation authority, rather than the track record of the various airlines.

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Brazil's Embraer profit slips 19%

Brazil's top planemaker Embraer reported a 19 per cent fall in third-quarter profit due to deliveries of less profitable jets on Thursday, as its workers went on strike.

Net income reached US$52.9 million in the third quarter ended September 30, down from US$65 million during the same period last year.

During the second quarter, the company reported a loss of US$5.3 million due to the depreciating real.

Embraer said it delivered a total of 19 commercial and 25 executive aircraft in the third quarter, for a cumulative total of 58 commercial and 66 executive jets for the first nine months of 2013.

During the same period last year, a total of 83 commercial and 46 executive aircraft were delivered.

Third-quarter revenue totaled US$1.28 billion, down 8.1 per cent from a year earlier.

"Our third-quarter numbers were a little below what we expected because of some delayed deliveries," Embraer's chief financial officer Jose Antonio Filippo told reporters in a conference call.

In a statement, the aircraft maker also blamed the decline on "lower commercial aviation deliveries in 3Q13 compared to last year, combined with a mix shift toward the smaller E-Jets E170 and E175 aircraft models."

"The lower revenue and product mix shift in the quarter were the principal drivers of a decline in gross margin to 19.2 per cent in 3Q13 compared to the 25.2 per cent reported in 3Q12," it added.

Meanwhile, thousands of Embraer workers launched a 24-hour strike over pay at the company's headquarters in Sao Jose dos Campos near Sao Paulo, the Metalworkers Union said in a statement.

It was the third work stoppage at Embraer this month alone to press demands for a 10 per cent pay hike.

The union has rejected an Embraer offer of a 6.07 per cent pay increase and is also demanding a reduction of the work week to 40 hours from the current 43 hours.

It said it had no choice but to go on strike in view of the management's intransigence.

But Filippo insisted that the strike had "no impact on productivity."

Embraer is the world's third-largest commercial aircraft manufacturer, behind American Boeing and Europe's Airbus.

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Boeing launches new Dreamliner with over 100 orders

Boeing launched the biggest version of its Dreamliner plane at the Paris Air Show on Tuesday with over 100 orders worth about $30 billion and a clear message - after a run of technical blows, the US firm is back on track.

The announcement failed to steal a march on arch-rival Airbus on the second day of the show with the European plane maker soaring ahead on new plane orders or agreements worth $36 billion compared to $26.2 billion for the US firm.

Smaller regional plane makers such as European manufacturer ATR also made their presence felt with multi-billion-dollar contracts propelled by demand and opportunities in Asia and South America.

"Boeing today officially launches the 787-10," Boeing head Jim McNerney told reporters, with commitments to buy the new aircraft from United Airlines, Singapore Airlines, British Airways, and leasing firms ALC and GECAS.

Boeing did not say how much the deals for the 787-10 -- the biggest of the three fuel-efficient Dreamliner planes -- were worth, but each aircraft costs $290 million at catalogue prices.

That would mean the contracts were worth $29.6 billion, although hard negotiation in the airline industry usually results in big discounts from list prices.

ALC also said it would buy three 787-9 planes and Korean Air ordered 11 long-haul aircraft.

The announcements put Boeing firmly back in the running after a slew of recent technical problems forced the grounding of the entire Dreamliner fleet worldwide for three months in a huge blow to the US firm -- and its bosses.

"If I took off my shirt you'd see a lot of scars from the 787," Patrick Shanahan, general manager of airplane programmes, said recently in Seattle where Boeing factories are based.

Ray Conner, head of Boeing's commercial airplanes division, told reporters earlier this week that executives at the firm were "battle-tested" after the experience.

In just over four years, Boeing should have all three versions of the Dreamliner on the market and possibly two newer versions of the 777, against just three types of A350, Airbus's direct competitor.

Undeterred, the European plane maker got off to a roaring start at the air show -- though most of its orders so far arise from the medium-haul market, which it already dominates.

Low-cost airline easyJet on Tuesday announced a deal to buy 135 of the Airbus A320 passenger planes -- one of the firm's most popular and profitable models -- including 100 of new generation and more fuel-efficient neo aircraft.

And Syphax Airlines, a new carrier based in Tunisia, signed an agreement to buy three of Airbus's new A320neo planes and three of its classic A320 aircraft.

But the European firm is seeking to unseat Boeing in the more lucrative long-haul segment with its own next-generation A350 plane, which flew for the first time on Friday ahead of the show, where it could make a brief fly-by.

The aircraft -- which like the Dreamliner makes extensive use of lighter, carbon-based composite materials that reduce fuel consumption -- will seek to compete with the 787 as well as Boeing's older 777 model.

So far, though, there have been no new orders for the A350 at the air show.

Overall, if catalogue prices are used as a barometer and only firm new orders and agreements counted, Airbus has taken the lead with orders worth $36 billion so far, compared to $26.2 billion for Boeing.

Other smaller competitors in regional transport markets have also made a mark, with ATR -- a joint venture between European aerospace giant EADS and Italy's Finmeccanica -- announcing one of its biggest orders.

Leasing firm Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC) signed up for 35 ATR-600 aircraft built by the firm, with an option on 55 in a deal worth $2.1 billion, ATR said.

Brazil's Embraer has also come up trumps with the launch of a new family of regional jets and 100 orders, with 215 other intentions to purchase the aircraft.

ATR said there were numerous opportunities in emerging markets in Asia and South America, adding that 30 percent of passengers worldwide travel on distances inferior to 550 kilometres (342 miles), which regional planes cover.

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The Paris Air Show is piling on the orders flick and fast on all plane manufacturers, from small boys like Embraer to bigger ones like Airbus and Boeing. There is still a long way to go before the show ends, and it is still unsure which one of the two biggest plane makers will be the ultimate winner. The key shall lay in the hands of the A350 and B787.