Airbus bets on new orders from India, Emirates

Le Bourget (Near Paris): With the exception of Kingfisher Airlines, slated to buy more Airbus superjumbos, India was not the biggest or most sought after client at the world’s oldest and most important air show which opened here on Monday. Sever al Arab emirates, notably Quatar and Dubai, came here with open cheque books, hotting up the war between the European market leader Airbus and its arch rival, the American Boeing.
The helicopter, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year is to be given a special place at the show which attracts 400,000 visitors each year with its displays of supersonic fighter jets and aerial derring-do. This year visitors will be able to see a reconstruction of the prototype used by French bicycle maker and engineer Paul Cornu for the first vertical lift-off in 1907.
But the ongoing war between Airbus and Boeing is again expected to dominate the trade section. Immediately after the fair opened, Airbus announced fresh orders for its troubled A-380 super jumbo. Qatar Airways said it would buy three additional A380 superjumbos and confirmed a previous order for 80 mid-sized A350s for a hefty total of $18 billion. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum of the Dubai-based Emirates said his company planned to buy eight more A380s worth $2.5 billion. Although manufacturers are targeting Indian companies, few deals are expected as budget carriers struggle to manage costs and move to profitability.
19/06/07 Vaiju Naravane/The Hindu

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Categories: Airshow Paris 2007, Foreign Jun 2007