Airbus wins $16 billion order, support for A350XWB
Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, May 29, 2007
On Wednesday, Qatar Airways gave Airbus both a big order and a big boost of confidence in the European planemaker’s A350 Extra Widebody jet.
The Middle East-based airline committed to 80 A350 XWBs in a signing ceremony in Paris attended by both members of the French and Qatari government as well as Airbus and Qatar Airway officials.
In 2005, Qatar Airways had signed up for 60 Airbus’s A350s but had not recommitted to the order after Airbus redesigned its jet. The order Wednesday reaffirmed the order for 60 and added on a request for another 20 A350 XWB jets.
The A350 XWB is Airbus’s answer to the Boeing Co.’s 787 Dreamliner, which is scheduled to enter service next year. Following Airbus’s troubles with its A380 superjumbo jet, the company delayed work on the A350, now scheduled to enter service in 2013.
Boeing’s stock shot up as high as $100.19 in trading Wednesday morning but had dipped back to $99.68 (still up $1.18) at 10:30 a.m. PST.
The news of Airbus’s order comes after recent speculation that some of Airbus’s biggest customers — leasing company ILFC and airlines Emirates and Singapore — had rejected the latest version of the A350. As this (http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/0,1518,485374,00.html) Spiegel article notes, another redesign of the A350 could cost Airbus dearly.
