European aircraft manufacturing giant Airbus opted to conceal the identities of its customers who ordered $24.4 billion worth of planes at the Farnborough Airshow due to concerns about the ongoing economic conflict waged between the United States and China, Bloomberg reports.
"The world today is governed by the tweets we receive every morning from one side of the Atlantic. So, you know that that is putting a lot of pressure within the airlines, it’s putting a lot of pressure within the governments," Airbus Chief Commercial Officer Eric Schulz said.
Analysts cited by Bloomberg also suggested that most unidentified orders logged by Airbus were likely placed by Chinese airlines or leasing companies.
"I would prefer to have them disclosed, but at the end of the day, you know what, the money is in the bank. And so disclosed, undisclosed, that doesn’t make a lot of difference. The orders is there, that’s it," Shulz surmised.
Earlier it was announced that Airbus will sell 10 A350 long-range planes to China's Sichuan Airlines at a cost of 2.4 billion euros ($2.8 billion) and has inked a letter of intent to supply 13 single-aisle A320neo aircraft to India’s Vistara air carrier.
At the same time, Taiwan's Starlux Airlines plans to buy 12 A350-1000s and five A350-900s.
READ MORE: Airbus to Sell China, India Blns of Dollars' Worth of Planes After Warning UK PM
This week, China announced its intent to adopt countermeasures to protect its interests and rights after the US decision to introduce tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.
The trade row between Beijing and Washington escalated in April after the United States slapped 25- and 10-percent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, respectively, from China. The Asian nation has hit back by slapping reciprocal tariffs on a number of US imports.
When introducing the import tariffs, US President Donald Trump announced that the European Union, Canada, and Mexico, as well as a few other countries, would be granted exemptions from the restrictions, but revoked the statement after they refused to negotiate their policies with Washington.
