Qatar deals Boeing second blow
Airbus is to sell up to 32 aircraft to Middle Eastern airline Qatar Airways in a deal worth $5.1billion before discounts.
The deal is a further blow to the company’s US rival Boeing, and follows hard on the news that Dubai-based Emirates is to buy up to 41 more Airbus planes.
At the Paris Air Show earlier this week Emirates announced that it was placing the single biggest order in civil aviation industry – in a deal which it claimed was worth $19 billion before undisclosed discounts.
While the total Emirates order of 71 aircraft was split between Boeing and Airbus, most of the new orders went to Airbus with Emirates more than doubling its order for the new A380 superjumbo from 22 to 45 aircraft. This means it will have more of the giant new aircraft than any other carrier.
The confidence of the two middle Eastern airlines is in stark contrast to the rest of the airline industry, which continues to suffer from the effects of the economic downturn, SARS and September 11.
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