General Electric and Pratt & Whitney (GE-P&W) signed a $1.5 billion deal to supply Middle East air carrier Emirates with engines for its 22 newly purchased Airbus superjumbo jets. The two firms expect to sell the airline additional engines providing that they choose to purchase 10 more aircraft, reported a press release.
The chairman of Dubai-based Emirates, Sheik Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, stated at a recent news conference that the airline plans to use the new double-decker four-engine jets on nonstop routes between Dubai and New York.
Founded in 1985, the Emirates airline currently has a fleet of 36 aircraft, flying to 56 destinations in 39 countries. The carrier seeks to triple its fleet to 100 aircraft by the end of the decade, to meet ambitious plans to establish Dubai as a regional tourist and air transport hub. In November 2001, the airline announced it had agreed to buy 68 passenger planes worth over $15 billion from Airbus and Boeing. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)