Amedeo (previously Doric Lease Corp) and Airbus have finalised the contract for 20 A380s originally announced at the 50th Le Bourget Airshow on 17th June 2013. The final agreement was signed today at the Singapore Airshow 2014 by Mark Lapidus, CEO of Amedeo and John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers.

Mark Lapidus, CEO of Amedeo said, “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. As world air traffic continues to double every fifteen 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.”

“This firm order from Amedeo is a clear recognition of the A380’s long-term market appeal. The A380’s unbeatable economics and passenger comfort are now available to airlines through operating leases from Amadeo,” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers. “The A380 is the best tool for airlines to capture growth and increase profits. Amedeo’s tailored leasing solutions will make these benefits available to an even wider airline community, allowing us to expand the operator base of the A380 in partnership with Amadeo.”

Amedeo’s customers will benefit from unbeatable seat-mile costs for their cabin configurations with a baseline three class, 573 seat layout. The main deck comfortably seats 427 passengers in 18.5 inch wide economy seats, while the upper deck offers 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 minimises reconfiguration costs and eases transition from operator to operator.

Amedeo will announce its engine selection at a later date.

Amedeo’s senior management has significant experience with the A380, achieving a ranking for the Doric Group as the third largest wide-body lessor worldwide by fleet value, and the world’s largest asset manager of leased A380s. During their time with the Doric Group, Amedeo’s senior management built a 6.8 billion US$ aircraft portfolio under management, including 18 A380s acquired through sale-leaseback arrangements and adding four more as Amedeo during 2013.

Since first entering service in 2007, to date over 120 A380s have joined the fleets of ten world class airlines. The aircraft is capable of flying 8,500 nautical miles or 15,700 kilometres non-stop, carrying more people at lower cost and with less impact on the environment. The spacious, quiet cabin and smooth ride have made the A380 a firm favourite with both airlines and passengers, resulting in higher load factors wherever it flies.

The total A380 fleet has accumulated over 1.2 million flight hours in close to 150,000 commercial flights. To date 50 million passengers have already enjoyed the unique experience of flying on board an A380. Every five minutes, an A380 either takes off or lands at one of the 35 airports where it operates today and the network is constantly growing.