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.

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.

Airbus dominated the first day of the biennial Paris Air Show, unveiling close to $10bn of orders after its rival Boeing cut back its activities following last week’s fatal Air India crash .

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.

Air India, in its current form, has maintained a more balanced fleet, having taken delivery of 122 Boeing aircraft and 114 Airbus planes between 2006 and 2025