Qatar Airways gave a big boost to European planemaker Airbus on Monday, choosing its future mid-sized jet over a more established rival from Boeing as part of a mammoth $15 billion order plan. Doha-based Qatar said it was close to signing a deal to buy up to 60 of Airbus's new A350 jets worth $10.6 billion, and would also buy at least 20 of Boeing Co's larger 777 planes for around $4.6 billion.
The massive order revived what was threatening to be a lacklustre Paris Air Show which has been dominated by a trade spat over planemaker subsidies rather than big deals.
Airbus chief Noel Forgeard said the planemaker now had enough orders to proceed with building the A350, Airbus's answer to Boeing's 787 model which has already racked up over 250 potential orders. The final decision rests with Airbus parent company EADS, which has delayed a go-ahead until September.
In a further boost, Airbus said it planned to announce another order for its 555-seat A380 aircraft. The world's biggest jetliner was the star attraction when it took to the skies above the Paris Air Show which was opened by French President Jacques Chirac, but Airbus has come under fire from customers in recent weeks by announcing a delay to deliveries.
However, Boeing hit back, saying it was looking to raise production of the 787 in 2008-09 to meet strong demand. "The market place could eat up as many as we could produce," Boeing's 787 programme head Mike Bair told a news conference.
The battle between Airbus and Boeing over mid-sized jets is becoming increasingly critical to both companies as the aerospace industry recovers from an economic downturn that was exacerbated by the September 2001 attacks on the United States.