Amedeo (previously Doric Lease Corp) and Airbus have firmed the leasing company’s order for 20 A380s, which was originally announced as a memorandum of understanding at the 50th Le Bourget Airshow on June 17, 2013.
The firm purchase agreement was signed on February 12 at the Singapore Airshow 2014 by Mark Lapidus, CEO of Amedeo; and John Leahy, Airbus’ chief operating officer, customers.
On June 17, 2013, Doric Lease Corp signed a memorandum of understanding at the 50th Le Bourget Airshow in Paris to buy 20 Airbus A380s to offer for operating lease. After being renamed Amedeo, the leasing company firmed its order on February 12, 2014, at the Singapore Airshow
“Today’s signature with Airbus is a great day for aviation as we offer airlines a new, more flexible way to access the unique benefits of the A380 through our tailored leasing solutions,” said Lapidus.
“As world air traffic continues to double every 15 years and airport infrastructure and slots do not, the A380 is the best solution for airlines to capture that growth and build passenger loyalty thanks to the on-board space and comfort combination that no other airliner can compete with and do so at the lowest per seat unit cost,” Lapidus added.
Amedeo has chosen a baseline three-class, 573-seat layout for its Airbus A380 superjumbos. The main deck of each aircraft will seat 427 passengers in 18.5 inch-wide economy seats, while the upper deck will be configured with 12 first class, 66 business class and 68 economy seats.
This cabin layout offers an efficient and at the same time flexible cabin configuration that minimizes reconfiguration costs and eases transition from operator to operator, according to Airbus.
Amedeo will announce its engine selection for the 20 A380s at a later date.
According to Airbus, Amedeo’s senior management has significant experience with the A380, achieving a ranking for the Doric Group as the third largest widebody lessor worldwide by fleet value, and the world’s largest asset manager of leased A380s.
During their time with Doric Lease Corp, Amedeo’s senior management built a $6.8 billion aircraft portfolio under management, including 18 A380s acquired through sale-leaseback arrangements and adding four more as Amedeo during 2013.
The Airbus A380 first entered service in 2007, with Singapore Airlines. To date, more than 120 A380s have been delivered, to 10 airlines. The aircraft is capable of flying 8,500 nautical miles (15,700 kilometers) non-stop with a full load of passengers and their bags, plus belly cargo.
The total A380 fleet has accumulated more than 1.2 million flight hours, in nearly 150,000 commercial flights. To date, 50 million passengers have flown on A380s.
Every five minutes, on average, an A380 either takes off or lands at one of the 35 airports where the type operates today and the A380 destination network is constantly growing, according to Airbus.
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