All Nippon Signs For 50 7E7s

In the battle for the hearts and minds of airline companies between Boeing and Airbus, Boeing clearly believes it's won -- this round, anyway.

America's aerospace giant Monday announced it had sealed a deal with Japan's All Nippon Airways for 50 (yeah, that's right, fifty) 7E7 Dreamliners. That, says Boeing, means the Japanese at least agree with its philosophy that bigger isn't necessarily better.

The All Nippon order, worth an estimated $6 billion (yeah, that's right, billion), is "a validation of our view of the marketplace," said Boeing 7E7 Senior Vice President Mike Bair in a conference call with reporters.

Bair hinted that the 7E7 was fast becoming a big hit in Asia. "I think we'll see something happening in China in the relatively near term," he said.

Boeing's long-term rivalry with Airbus has boiled down to a difference over whether the future of air travel is in huge behemoths like the double-decker A-380 or the fuel-efficient 7E7. One will move lots of people from place to place. The other will move people from lots of places to lots of other places. In the argument between Boeing and Airbus on this point, size matters.

It's the biggest deal Boeing has ever seen from a launch customer. The old record was set almost 40 years ago when Eastern and United ordered a total of 40 727s.

The Dreamliner goes into production in two years, with the first roll-outs expected in 2008.

FMI: www.boeing.com