Lufthansa Favors Boeing over Airbus in Latest Order for Long-Haul Planes
German airline Lufthansa AG said it would order 20 Boeing 747-8 planes, with purchase rights for 20 more, becoming the first passenger airline to order the new long-haul jet.
Lufthansa and Boeing downplayed head-to-head competition between the 747-8 and the A380, saying the Boeing jet fills a niche between the 300-seat and 500-seat categories.
Airbus' delays in producing the A380 also played no part in Lufthansa's orders of the large Boeing jets, Lufthansa senior vice president Nico Buchholz said at a news conference in Seattle, Washington.
"It is a well-evaluated decision for the 747-8, rather than a decision against something else," he said.
A freight version of the 747-8 has received 73 orders, with the first scheduled to be delivered to Cargolux in 2009.
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AP Business Writers Curt Woodward in Seattle and Dave Carpenter in Chicago and Associated Press Writer Stephen Graham in Berlin contributed to this report.
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