Japan
Airlines has confirmed it has signed its first contract with European plane
maker Airbus on the delivery of wide-body passenger jets to renew its fleet.
The deal means a serious blow to Boeing.
The new Airbus A350 takes off (REUTERS/Jean-Philippe Arles) |
Japan's
flagship carrier announced Monday it had ordered 31 A350 passenger jets from
Airbus in a deal valued at $9.5 billion (7 billion euros).
The
purchase agreement included orders for 18 long-haul A350-900s and 13
A350-1000s, with an option to buy another 25 jets in a drive to renew its
fleet, according to Japan Airlines (JAL).
The deal
followed an intense battle between the world's leading plane makers as Japan's
two largest carriers sought dozens of new long-haul aircraft over the next
decade.
The battle
goes on
For several
decades, US competitor Boeing had been able to ward off any attempts by Airbus
to secure an order from JAL, benefiting from links with Japanese suppliers and
deep political ties between Tokyo and Washington.
But delays
to Boeing's 787 Dreamliner planes and their grounding after their batteries
overheated had seriously tarnished the image of the US rival and cast doubt on
Boeing's ability to deliver aircraft on time.
The battle
for orders from Japan between the plane makers now looks set to shift to ANA,
which is also looking for around 25 new jets to replace its aging fleet of
long-haul Boeing 777s.
hg/tj (Reuters, AFP)
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