Aiming at launching international services,all-business-class carrier Paramount Airways on Friday placed a $1.5 billion order for acquiring 10 Airbus A-321 aircraft with each of them costing over $900 million. Paramount signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the major European aircraft manufacturers on the sidelines of the ongoing Paris Airshow at Le Bourget in France. Under the MoU the Chennai-based airline has an option to place orders for 10 more aircraft in future. We signed an MoU with Paramount Airways for confirmed orders for ten A-321s and ten more on option, Airbus vice president (sales) Miranda Mills said from France. The airline has already made its intentions clear that it wants to launch international flights from southern India by the year-end. The airline is planning to launch international services from its key hubs and at present assessing opportunities to fly into the far east and west Asian countries," airline officials said. Maintaining that the $1.5-billion deal would be funded by the European Central Bank,Paramount managing director M Thiagarajan said the signing of the MoU marked an important and strategic landmark in expansion plans and in particular the goal to become a leading international carrier. The A-321s will help us realise these ambitious and attainable goals and we are delighted with our aircraft choice, he said.
