Boeing’s graceful new long-haul jet, the 787 Dreamliner, landed at Le Bourget aerodrome to woo crowds of admirers at its first Paris International Air Show yesterday.
Paris is home turf for the US giant’s European rival Airbus, and Boeing was determined to show off its most modern plane at a time when the dueling pair are vying for an important order from Air France-KLM.
The airline is due to decide whether to buy the Dreamliner, which is due for delivery to its first client in September, or to stick with France’s Airbus and face a wait for its rival A350 long-haul carrier.
Boeing's new long-haul jet, the 787, is making its first appearance at Paris International Air Show
Industry sources expect the giant flag-bearer to pick a mix of the two planes, despite political pressure in France to make the patriotic choice.
There was a headlong rush of major aircraft orders on the second day of the Paris International Airshow as rivals Airbus and Boeing fought to grab the headlines.
The day was dominated by the Airbus A320neo, the upgraded, more fuel-efficient medium-haul workhorse which appeared to get the better of Boeing’s venerable 737 series, the world’s biggest-selling plane.
The Airbus A320neo (for New Engine Option) is also proving popular at the air show
The medium-haul market is the single most important segment of the industry and will likely account for nearly half of all commercial aircraft sales by value over the next 20 years, according to Boeing.
The figures do not include memorandums of understanding or letters of intent for aircraft of which there were several on Tuesday, mostly large potential orders for the Airbus A320neo. (Figures in US dollars)
Airbus
x60 A320neo aircraft, the updated and more efficient version of the workhorse A320 series, worth some $5.5 billion dollars at list price for Gecas leasing company of the United States
x36 A320neos plus 14 options for Aircraft Leasing Corporation which also ordered one A321 and x11 long-haul A330s in a deal that could be worth $6.0 billion
x30 A320neos for Scandinavia’s SAS Airlines, worth up to $2.8 billion
x6 A320neos for Taiwan’s TransAsia worth $600 million
x4 A330-300s for Saudi Arabian Airlines, worth $800 million
Boeing
x14 B737-800s worth $1.1 billion for Aircraft Leasing Corporation
x2 B747-8, the upgraded version of the original 747 jumbo jet aimed at the Airbus A380 superjumbo, with a list price of $635 million. Another client signed a commitment to buy another 15 of the aircraft
x6 B777-300ER for Qatar Airways worth $1.7 billion
x10 737-800 for Malaysia Airlines at $800 million
x8 777-300ER for Aeroflot, $2.2 billion
x2 737-800 and one 767-300ER for MIAT Mongolian Airlines, $245 million
x15 737-800 for low-cost carrier Norwegian, worth $1.2 billion, plus three 787 Dreamliners
x14 737-800 for US leasing firm ALC, $1.1 billion
Embraer
x39 orders for its E-jet series of regional aircraft worth $1.7 billion
Bombardier
x10 CS100 regional jets worth more than $600 million
x10 Global 8000 business jets for Switzerland’s VistaJet, a business aviation specialist, worth $650 million
ATR – a joint venture of EADS and Italy’s Alenia
The company said it had 78 total orders worth $2.4 billion in all among which it detailed:
x15 ATR 72-600 planes for leasing company GECAS worth some $340 million
x10 ATR 72-600 for Brazil’s Azul
Scott Snowden in Paris
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