Emirates puts off decision

Published 9:00 pm Sunday, May 21, 2006

Emirates won’t be making a big orders announcement at Farnborough this year, Khaleej Times reports from Dubai. http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/business/2006/May/business_May509.xml§ion=business

Emirates is in the market for between 50 and 100 long-range mid-size jets, but isn’t ready to make a decision, the paper said.

Key Quote: “Mike Simon (a spokesman) … said the UAE national carrier was still evaluating the two aircraft models — an extended version of Boeing 787 and the Airbus 350, which is undergoing its fifth design change. … ‘We could wait a year or two. This is a plane we’ll have for 25 years, it’s a 25-year decision.’”

Quoting unnamed “market sources,” Khaleej Times said airlines are looking much more favorably on Boeing’s proposed 300-seat 787-10X than Airbus’ similarly sized A350-900, and Boeing is likely the front-runner for the eventual Emirates order.

The “787-10X is widely regarded as the ideal choice,” the paper said.