In a major victory for European plane maker Airbus
over its US rival's Boeing, American airline Delta placed order for 50 Airbus
wide-body jets powered by Rolls Royce engines to replace its old Boeing planes.
The order worth $14bn includes 25 Airbus A350-900
and 25 advanced Airbus A330-900neo aircraft. Rolls Royce will provide Trent
engines for both types of aircraft and long term servicing in a deal worth $5bn
.
The Delta deal is significant for Airbus and Rolls
Royce because they hope other American legacy carriers will follow its example
as they upgrade their ageing fuel-hungry fleets.
Airbus is reported to have won the contract after
promising to deliver its latest A330neo in 2019, ahead of Boeing's 787
Dreamliner.
Boeing’s Dreamliner has been beset with problems,
suffering several delays before its 2011 introduction and then being grounded
due to battery fires last year.
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