Air Europa ditches Airbus for Dreamliner

Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Spanish airline Air Europa has ordered eight Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners, and has switched its allegiance from Airbus to Boeing.

In 2004 Air Europa was the first customer to place an order for the Airbus A350, a rival model to the Dreamliner. But now the airline based in Palma de Mallorca has decided to buy eight Dreamliners with a list price of $1.3 billion and has rights to buy a further eight.

“The 787 is the best solution that meets our requirements for a superior airplane that offers better efficiency, better environmental performance and excellent comfort for our passengers,” explains Air Europa managing director, Maria Jose Hidalgo.

Air Europa aims to operate its new Dreamliners on long haul flights to destinations such as Argentina, the Dominican Republic and Mexico. Boeing claims the Dreamliner reduces emissions by 20% thanks to its fuel efficient carbon-composite construction and new engines.

The US based plane maker says another advantage of the Dreamliner it that it allow airlines to offer direct flights, bypassing inconvenient connections at crowded hub airports.

Another Dreamliner customer, the Australian low cost airline Jetstar owned by Qantas, has had to postpone the start of its services to Europe because of delays in the delivery of the Dreamliner, according to the Financial Times.

The paper reports that Jetstar won’t now start flights to Europe until late 2009 or early 2010, almost a year later than originally scheduled. Jetstar is said to be talking to Boeing about compensation.

Boeing reports 857 orders so far for its Dreamliner from 56 airlines around the world. The company says the first flight of the Dreamliner is “scheduled for around the end of the second quarter of 2008”. Deliveries should start in early 2009.

Written by: Nick Purdom

 

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Air Europa Ditches Airbus For Dreamliner