Airbus struck a deal with budget airline VietJet for up to 150 single-aisle jets at the Paris Airshow on Tuesday, where industry hopes of a return to tariff-free trade were given a boost by U.S. Transport Secretary Sean Duffy.

The companies said they had signed a memorandum of understanding for VietJet to buy 100 more A321neo planes, with the option to add up to a further 50 to the deal in future. The agreement confirmed an earlier Reuters story. A deal for 150 A321neos could be worth around $9.4 billion, according to estimated prices provided by Cirium Ascend.

AviLease, which is backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, kicked off the show with an order for 30 A321 narrow-body aircraft, with options for 25 more, as well as 10 A350 freight planes and 12 options. Last month, it announced an order of 30 Boeing 737 Max jets during US President Donald Trump’s tour of the Middle East.

Boeing's CEO pulled out of the Paris Air Show following the Air India crash, which has set a somber mood for the aviation and defense event at Le Bourget.

After the tragic Air India crash in Ahmedabad that killed 241 people, attention turns to a radical safety concept.

PARIS: Airbus has signed a memorandum of understanding with VietJet for 100 of its A321neo planes, with a potential to add 50 more to the deal, industry sources said at the Paris Airshow on Tuesday (J

Airbus SE said the fatal accident on Thursday in India involving a Boeing Co. airliner should spur the industry as a whole to advance its safety culture, dismissing the notion that the crash could bring a competitive edge to one planemaker over the other in the global duopoly.

Airbus bagged multibillion-dollar plane orders from Saudi Arabia and Poland on the opening day of the Paris Airshow clouded by a separate diplomatic dispute over France's decision to shut down some Israeli stands for displaying deadly weapons.

European aeroplane manufacturer Airbus announced Saudi and Polish orders for more than 100 aircraft at the Paris Air Show on Monday while US rival Boeing focused on “supporting customers” after the Air India crash.

Airbus SE predicted the global commercial aircraft fleet will double in size to almost 50,000 planes over the next 20 years, spurred by rapid growth in markets like India, where a rising middle class increasingly takes to air travel.