Gulf nations splash 15 billion dollars on Boeing, Airbus jets

FARNBOROUGH  - Gulf countries, rich from record-high oil prices, announced deals here Monday worth 15 billion dollars (9.4 billion euros) for the latest fuel-efficient aircraft and other passenger planes made by Boeing and Airbus.
Deals involving the UAE and Saudi Arabia were revealed on the opening day of the latest Farnborough International Airshow, outside London, a key event in the commercial aviation industry calendar. Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, led the way on Monday â€" announcing a deal to buy 45 Boeing mid-sized passenger jets, including 35 fuel-efficient Dreamliners, worth $9.4b.
New low-cost airline FlyDubai announced a 4.0 billion-dollar deal for 54 single-aisle Boeing 737 passenger jets, putting the US group in pole-position early on at the show in its traditional orders battle with Airbus.
However Boeing’s European rival did win an order on Monday for eight wide-bodied Airbus A330s, worth 1.6 billion dollars, from Saudi Arabian Airlines. Airbus was set to announce other orders at 1500 GMT.
Oil-producing states are snapping up new aircraft thanks to extra revenue earned from rocketing crude prices, which struck record highs last Friday, passing 147 dollars a barrel. Soaring fuel costs are meanwhile encouraging airlines to invest in more energy-efficient planes.
Etihad, which launched in 2003, said Monday it had agreed to purchase 35 Dreamliner 787 jets â€" which await their first delivery after being beset by delays â€" and 10 Boeing 777s.
“The new-generation Boeing aircraft we have ordered are among the most fuel efficient and will help maintain Etihad’s fleet as one of the youngest and greenest in the sky,” Etihad chief executive James Hogan said in a statement issued following a press conference.
Etihad said it would take delivery of the 777s in 2011 and Dreamliners in 2015. Boeing had announced the 9.4-billion-dollar deal ahead of the Farnborough show but had not revealed Etihad as the client until Monday.