Boeing delays to take centre stage at S'pore Airshow

Singapore: When the Singapore Airshow takes off next Tuesday, the perennial Airbus-Boeing fight for plane orders could hinge on delays to Boeing's new 787 jumbo.
The Singapore aviation event, billed as the world's second largest in size after Paris but smaller than others such as Dubai in terms of orders, is seen as a way for planemakers to get access to the fast-growing Asia-Pacific aviation industry.
Strong domestic growth has prompted national airlines from India, China and Australia to expand their fleets and has also spurred a boom for regional low cost carriers. Eyes are on whether airlines such as Malaysia's AirAsia X and Thai Airways will pick Airbus' A350 or the 787 Dreamliner.
Boeing announced a second delay in its top-selling 787 last month, pushing first deliveries out until early 2009. Airlines have so far ordered 857 of the planes, worth $140 billion (71 billion pounds) at list prices, and some are seeking compensation for the postponement.
Boeing's problems mirrored that of rival Airbus, whose A380, the world's largest passenger jet, was delayed two years before the first delivery last October to Singapore Airlines .
15/02/08 Daryl Loo/Reuters/International Herald Tribune, France

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Categories: Foreign Feb 2008, Singapore Airshow 2008