No delay in plane sales to China: Boeing
No delay in plane sales to China: Boeing
SHANGHAI (Reuters): U.S. aircraft manufacturer Boeing Co said on Tuesday its plans to sell at least 30 aircraft to China have not been delayed by Sino-U.S. tensions and it expects Beijing to announce orders in May or June.
"We don't believe this 30 airplane (order) is being put on hold because of the current political situation. It's very much within the timeframe which we originally anticipated," said Boeing spokeswoman Ivy Takahashi.
Boeing expected to get confirmation of the orders from Beijing in May or June, the Seattle-based Boeing spokeswoman for the Asia-Pacific region told Reuters by phone.
The Asian Wall Street Journal on Tuesday had quoted unnamed jet-leasing company officials as saying a deal for China to buy at least 30 new model Boeing 737s had been put on hold.
The newspaper said it was not clear why the order was delayed, but quoted one leasing company official as blaming it on soured Sino-U.S. relations after last month's stand-off over a U.S. spy plane.
Mark Hooper, Boeing's Hong Kong-based Asia-Pacific managing director of corporate communications, said on Tuesday that as far as Boeing was concerned it was business as usual.
"We continue to market our airplanes in China and when the Chinese are ready to make an announcement about acquisitions they will do so, whether it's for Boeing or for our competitors," Hooper told Reuters.
Takahashi said Boeing was in close contact with Chinese airlines and the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC), the country's aviation regulator which approves airline purchase deals.
"We have no indication, we have no reason to assume there (are) any irregularities to this pending order. We do anticipate some type of announcement in the May or June timeframe."
The CAAC had no comment on Tuesday.
Boeing and its competitor, Airbus Industrie, are battling it out for what analysts and industry officials say is the world's fastest growing aviation market.
Flight International magazine said last month that China Southern Airlines had ordered two new Boeing 747-400 freighters. Hainan Airlines Co said last month it planned to lease three Boeing 767-300 ERs.