The titanic struggle between Boeing and Airbus continued yesterday with huge new deals disclosed by each side.
Boeing Commercial Airplane announces a deal for seven 747-400s, worth $1.18 billion.
The customer is Philippine Airlines, which already operates 12 Boeing 747s.
Meanwhile, Airbus Industrie says it has landed new contracts for 60 aircraft worth $6 billion - but will not reveal details until the end of the month.
Deliveries of the Boeing 747s, powered by GE CF6-80C2B1F engines, will begin in mid-1998.
Flagships
"Orders from respected carriers like Philippine Airlines reinforce the 747's place as the flagship of the world's airlines," says Ron Woodard, Boeing Commercial Airplane Group president.
An Airbus spokesman says the orders for 60 aircraft - 30 firm and 30 commitments - cover a mix of airframes and customers.
Details will not be released until the end of September.
Earlier this week, Boeing announced new orders worth $6.3 billion, while Airbus unveiled orders for $2.5 billion.
So, that's $7.4 billion of new business to Boeing and $8.5 billion to Airbus.
The real winners though are Farnborough and the industry at large as the competition between these great rivals further demonstrates the industry's recovery.
And there are still two trade days to go ...
Source: Flight Daily News
