British Airways said today it was choosing four Boeing 777 aircraft, with options for four more, ahead of Airbus A330s as it starts expanding its long-haul fleet.
"It was a very close decision between the Boeing 777s and Airbus A330s," said British Airways Commercial Director Robert Boyle. "However, the ease of assimilating up to eight aircraft into our existing 777 fleet, rather than having a small number of A330s, swung the balance in Boeing's favour," he added.
"We already have 43 of the 777 aircraft, and that was the tipping factor." Airbus postponed a major announcement on job cuts this week, saying European nations could not agree how to share the work on the planemaker's next aircraft, the wide-body A350.
The surprise statement followed a stormy board meeting at parent EADS on Sunday evening, at which the group failed to sign off on management's Power8 restructuring plans, seen as crucial to the future of Airbus, a source close to the matter said. EADS shares were down 0.5 per cent at €25.82 earlier, while BA shares had eased 0.2 per cent to 572 pence. British Airways is starting a major programme of fleet renewal and expansion, with 20 of its older 747s and 14 of its 767s due to be replaced.
Mr Boyle told reporters the next big order would be made in the second half of 2007, at which point the ease of assimilating the planes would be less of an issue. "The competition is still wide open," he said.
The four Boeing 777-200 ERs are scheduled for delivery in early 2009, and options have been taken out for a further four to be delivered in 2010. Airbus' problems this week also exposed continued tensions between the four countries where its plants are based - Britain, France, Germany and Spain - as the planemaker's chief Louis Gallois prepares to axe up to 10,000 jobs or a fifth of its workforce.