Airbus, Boeing kick off 2008 with fresh orders

23 January 2008

For archrivals, Boeing and Airbus, 2008 has kicked off with a fresh round of orders as China Airlines, Air Europa, TAM and Jeju Air announced fresh aircraft orders or confirmed options.

For Boeing there would have been particular glee regarding one order, as Spanish leisure carrier, Air Europa, which had become the first airline in December 2004 to order the original Airbus A350, switched to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Europa announced an order for eight B787-8s, worth $1.3 billion, at list prices, plus options for eight more.

The order had been placed in 2007 and was listed by Boeing as unidentified.

Air Europa selected the Trent 1000 to power its 787s, with an order worth some $560 million, including a TotalCare package, according to Trent manufacturer, Rolls-Royce.

"After further development of the 787 by Boeing, it became clear to our pilots, our fleet planners and our accountants that the 787 would deliver the best possible economics while also offering superior satisfaction for our passengers," MD Maria Jose Hidalgo said.