- Title: FRANCE: AIRBUS SECURES A KEY DEAL FOR ITS A350 MIDSIZE MODEL
- Date: 15th June 2005
- Summary: (EU) PARIS, FRANCE (JUNE 14, 2005) (REUTERS) 1. SLV /MV AIRBUS NEWS CONFERENCE 0.10 2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) AIRBUS CEO NOEL FORGEARD SAYING: "But what about the fight between the 787and the A350? Because all in all, Boeing is ahead due to the 787. And, yes, what has made a difference at the end of May is the firming up of new orders for the 787." 3. REPORTERS 4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORGEARD SAYING: "Today Qatar has announced its choice for sixty A350s. A few weeks ago, U.S. Airways in America has announced its decision to buy twenty A350s as soon as their merger with America West, another Airbus customer, will be completed." 5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORGEARD SAYING: "Such a successful combination may explain the extreme nervousness of our competitor. You may notice for instance that they have pushed the U.S. government to sue us at the World Trade Organisation precisely at the moment we were consolidating the launch base of the A350 and getting the support of our sales orders on that." 6. JOURNALISTS TAKING NOTES 7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORGEARD SAYING: "The A350 meets great market successs and will never, I can tell you, never be taken as a hostage of the WTO thing, never. For the WTO we are calm, quiet and firm and want to give a large chance to negotiations." 8. JOURNALISTS AT NEW CONFERENCE 9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORGEARD, TALKING ABOUT DELIVERIES OF THE A380, SAYING "The result is that there is a shift of a few, say two, to up to six months, depending on the individual situations of each customers, who are currently being informed. In any case, our objective remains to deliver the first aircraft to the first operater, Singapore Airlines, in the later part of 2006." 10. JOURNALISTS LEAVING AIRBUS NEWS CONFERENCE 2.45 11. MV PAN VISITORS AT AIRBUS STAND AT PARIS AIR SHOW; MODEL OF THE A350; SLV AIRCRAFT ON SHOW; VISITORS WATCHING PLANES (8 SHOTS) 3.32 12. MV/SLV BOEING 777 ON DISPLAY; VISITORS WALKING 3.50 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 30th June 2005 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Reuters ID: LVA74ZKIDLB38T000YU535RJMBCX
- Story Text: Airbus secures a key deal for its A350 midsize model.
In a key battle ground between Airbus and Boeing, Airbus chief
executive on Tuesday (June 14, 2005) announced a deal with Qatar Airways
which said it would buy 60 of Airbus's planned A350 mid-sized model jets.
"Today Qatar has announced its choice for sixty A350s. A few weeks
ago, U.S. Airways in America has announced its decision to buy twenty A350s as
soon as the merger with America West will be completed," Airbus chief
executive Noel Forgeard said.
Also on Tuesday (June 14) a Kuwait-based leasing firm ALAFCO said would
buy twelve A350s and would take options on 6 more.
The announcement comes as the planemaker seeks enough buyers to
convince its board to approve production of the plane, which would begin
deliveries in 2010.
Airbus A350 is aimed at countering Boeing's new 787 model, which has
amassed more than 260 commitments from customers.
"So what about the fight between the 787 and the A350? All in all,
Boeing is ahead; what has made a difference at the end of May is the firming
up of new orders for the 787," Forgeard said.
Boeing's success with the 787 in mid-sized market has prompted Airbus
to modify the A350 design.
Airbus parent companies EADS and BAE Systems last week delayed giving
final approval to build the A350 until September.
"Our objective remains to deliver the first aircraft to the first
customer, Singapore Airlines, in the later part of 2006," Forgeard
said.
Orders or commitments received for the A350 so far reached 102 by the
second day of the Paris air show and Airbus said it expected to have 200
commitments this year.
But it has been kept mainly on the backfoot by Boeing which announced
increased production for the 787 at the show.
Forgeard forecast 360 total Airbus plane deliveries in 2005 and
"at least" 400 next year as the airline sector recovers from its
worst recession that began in 2001 and ended around the midle of last year.
Forgeard said Airbus would post a double-digit percentage operating
margin this year, though lower than its first-quarter margin of 12.6 percent.
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