First Boeing Deal In The Mideast For '06

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker confirmed on Monday that the airline has signed the contracts and placed a firm order for 20 Boeing 777 aircraft. 

It had earlier committed to buy the American planes at the Paris Air Show in June, 2005 but there was much speculation as to whether or not the company would actually go through with the deal, according to The Penninsula, Quatar's daily newspaper. The order is worth $4.24 billion.

The Boeing order is the first confirmed sale to a major Middle-East customer for the American company this year. Airbus has dominated the airline fleet in this region since it first offered aircraft for sale. The first Boeing 777 should be delivered in November of next year and the order will be completed by 2010.

In a related story, Qatar Airways also announced that it had just received its first of ten Airbus A340-600 aircraft, which is described as the longest passenger jet in the world. The four-engine aircraft will be used on long-haul routes to the US, Great Britain, Australia, and Japan and should begin service before the end of the year.

FMI: Arab Air Carriers Organization, www.boeing.com