Boeing wins $9.7 b order from Emirates
Boeing wins $9.7 b order from Emirates
Agence France-Presse, Dubai
Dubai flag carrier Emirates kicked off a major air show on Sunday
with a US$9.7-billion order for Boeing's new long-haul 777
airliner, a major coup for the U.S. manufacturer in its battle
with European rival Airbus.
The order was announced on the opening day of the Dubai Air
Show.
"We are investing in more new aircraft to meet the escalating
demand for Emirates services from our customers across the globe.
This new order will support the airline growth plans and enhance
our fleet range and versatility," Emirates chairman Sheikh Ahmad
bin Saeed al-Maktoum said.
"This is a firm order worth $9.7 billion ... The contract will
have a purchase right for 20 more," he said.
Emirates, one of the fastest growing airlines in the skies,
also signed an agreement worth up to $3 billion with General
Electric of the United States for GE-90 engines to power the new
wide-bodied Boeings.
The Boeing order alone dwarfs the nearly $7.5 billion in deals
inked at the last show two years ago, including $3 billion in
orders for Airbus jets by Qatar, another rich Gulf state flush
with cash from growing natural gas sales.
Emirates has already ordered 45 of the Airbus A380 as it
embarks on an ambitious quest to turn Dubai into a major hub
linking Europe to Asia, Australia and Africa.
The A380, the world's biggest passenger jet, made its maiden
flight to the Middle East on Saturday, arriving in Dubai on the
eve of the aviation show opened by the emirate's Crown Prince
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum.
He climbed aboard an A380 emblazoned with Emirates colors,
accompanied by the European aircraft maker's chief executive
officer Gustav Humbert and the head of parent company EADS Noel
Forgeard.
Authorities in the booming city boast that the ninth edition
of the Dubai show, which was last held in 2003, will be 25
percent bigger this year, with nearly 10,000 square meters more
exhibition space.
The four-day event is being held at a sprawling expo center
next to the airport bringing together 726 exhibitors from 46
countries, organizers say.
It is also attracting more players and officials from the
defense and military aviation industries than previous years.
The head of Qatar Airways said he was unfazed by the big plans
of Emirates and the entry of Etihad Airways, which was launched
in 2003 by the government of Abu Dhabi, the richest of the seven
emirates that make up the federation of the United Arab Emirates.
"There is enough business and enough expansion opportunities
for all of us," Akbar al-Baker told AFP. "We want to stay a very
up-market, very passenger focused and very service-oriented
airline."
He said although Qatar Airways will not be making any new
order announcements in Dubai it is still in the market for new
planes.
It had placed an order for 60 Airbus A350s and 20 Boeing 777s
at the last major air show at Le Bourget in France in June.
So far, Airbus has received more than 150 orders for the A380,
with options for another 100. It counts among its other customers
Qatar Airways, Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways, China Southern
Airlines and Thai Airways.