Boeing, Airbus land big orders
May 30, 2013
The world's leading planemakers, Europe's Airbus and Boeing from the United States, would be given orders for 30 new airplanes each, Singapore Airlines announced Thursday.
In addition, the Asian carrier said it had secured an option for an additional 20 aircraft from Airbus.
The deals are said to be the biggest ever placed by Singapore Airlines, and are valued at $17 billion (13.1 billion euros) by the Asian carrier.
"Today's aircraft orders are helping to ensure that we retain our industry leading position," said the carrier's chief executive, Goh Choon Phong, in a statement.
The contracts would demonstrate the airline's commitment to the Singapore hub and its confidence in the future for premium full-service travel, he added
Singapore Airlines said the deal with Airbus was for 30 A350-900 models - a long-range, wide-body airliner due to come into operation in 2014. The agreement with Boeing comprised 30 firm orders for its 787-10X Dreamliner and was conditional upon the US aircraft-maker formally launching the aircraft, the airline added.
Both types of aircraft are said to be very fuel-efficient due to their light composite material used in the construction of their airframes. The Airbus firm orders will be delivered from the 2016 financial year and the Boeing planes from the 2018.
uhe/kms (Reuters, AFP, dpa)