Royal Jordanian to buy 2 Boeing 787s

Royal Jordanian has ordered two of Boeing Co.'s new 787 jets, taken out options for two more and plans to lease another eight, the companies said Sunday.

Photo: Royal Jordanian to buy 2 Boeing 787s

The order for two midsize, long-haul 787-8 Dreamliners is worth about $306 million (€227 million) at list prices, though airlines typically negotiate discounts.

The two planes had previously been listed on Boeing's Web site as an order coming from an unidentified customer, Boeing said.

To date, Boeing has won 568 orders for the 787 from some 44 customers, which the company said makes the plane the fastest-selling new jet in commercial aviation history.

Boeing has said the 787 will be about 20 percent more fuel efficient and cheaper to maintain than comparable models today because it's being made mostly of carbon-fiber composite materials, which are lighter and more durable than aluminum, the AP reports.

But despite the significant success in the last two years by Boeing in securing sales of 2,000 planes worldwide, delivery delays remained a problem that was helping rival European manufacturer, EADS's Airbus, Monson said.

"One of the biggest challenges we face is the delivery positions are significantly into the future, even though we see airlines doing forward planning," Monson added.

Airbus's proposed new challenger to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the A350, is not due to reach its first customer before 2013, five years behind the Boeing model, but analysts say Airbus has been pitching the current A330 aircraft to airlines as a stop-gap.

Aircraft demand is rising on the back of increased traffic and an extended rally in the fortunes of a notoriously cyclical industry following a steep downturn at the start of the decade, Reuters reports.

Source: agencies

Prepared by Alexander Timoshik
Pravda.ru