Boeing in talks on next wave of fuel-efficient planes


David Gow in ParisMonday June 18, 2007The Guardian
Boeing threw down the gauntlet to its loss-making European rival Airbus yesterday, announcing that it was already in talks with airlines on developing a more fuel-efficient plane to replace its bestselling 737 single-aisle jet.
The US plane maker, which outsold Airbus in 2006 for the first time in six years, has stolen a lead on its rival by winning 584 firm orders for its 787 Dreamliner long-haul jet, which enters service in 2008. Airbus, forced to redesign its rival A350, doubling its cost to €11bn and delaying its entry until 2013, has won just 19 orders.