ANA buys 45 Boeing jetliners
Boeing, which of late has been troubled by stiff competition from rival Airbus, has landed a hefty contract from Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA).
The BBC reports that ANA, Asia’s number two airline, is buying forty-five 737-700 single-aisle 142-seat jetliners from Boeing, at a list price of $50 million apiece.
ANA plans to retire its current fleet of Airbus and Boeing planes in favour of having one standard aircraft model; it expects this move to save up to $50 million annually in maintenance and pilot training costs.
Boeing will begin delivering the aircraft at a rate of seven per year from April 2005.
However, despite the deal, Airbus is likely to be the leader in aircraft deliveries this year, the first instance in twenty-five years of Boeing being ousted from pole position by its European competitors.
