IAG considers leasing second-hand A380s

IAG chief executive Willie Walsh said yesterday at the Airline Economics Growth Frontiers conference in Dublin that the group would not be exercising its options for more A380s beyond the 12 it has on order, “but we are interested in leasing second-hand A380s. I believe we could look at a further five, maybe six, for British Airways, and possibly make a case for Iberia too." Airbus has so far delivered 10 A380s to BA, with another two due in February and June. “I don’t mind where the aircraft come from. What we’ve said is we’re interested and therefore if there are aircraft available, don’t be afraid to talk to us. We’ve already had some discussions with potential lessors,” continued Walsh. The A380, which seats more than 450 passengers, is attractive to BA on routes where demand is high - such as Heathrow to Los Angeles where three daily 747s have been replaced by two A380s, thus freeing up a slot at London's overcrowded Heathrow airport. Walsh also said there is no timescale for acquiring the additional A380 aircraft - “We are not in a hurry. The 747-400 is still an efficient aircraft, especially in the current oil-pricing environment.” To keep in line with BA’s current A380 fleet, which are equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines, IAG would require additional aircraft to have the same engine - that points to aircraft that may be released from Singapore Airlines or Malaysia Airlines. In a seeming change of heart on the second-hand aircraft market, Mr. Walsh also said that the company could lease a number of Boeing 777-300ER long-range jets. "We see going forward probably a greater mix of leased in the fleet than we’ve traditionally had.”

British Airways' B777-300ER