Boeing hopes that Chinese airlines will soon place orders for up to 80 of its new 7E7 "Dreamliner" jets, according to the official publication of Airshow China 2004.
An order of this size would push Boeing over its target of 200 sales for the more fuel-efficient airliner by year-end, the publication said, without citing a source.
Boeing officials declined to confirm the report, saying they are not in a position to disclose any deals.
"We have received a great deal of interest in the 7E7. We are engaging with all airlines in China," said Randy Tinseth, director of product and services marketing of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "We are very optimistic about our sales potential in China," he added.
David Wang, president of Boeing China, said, "Those who are interested in 7E7 are those airlines that are operating the 777, 340, 330 and 767. We believe the 7E7 will fly to China before the 2008 Olympics."
The 7E7, which will carry 200-300 passengers, has a list price of about USD$120-125 million, although discounts are common in the industry.
The passenger jet, designed to save cash-strapped airlines on fuel and other operating costs, is Boeing\'s first new plane in a decade and is set to enter service in 2008.
Boeing rival Airbus, which is keen to sell its massive new A380 to Chinese airlines, did not reveal any new orders for the 500 seat plane.
"We have made significant progress. We expect some transactions to be concluded in coming months," said Laurence Barron, Airbus\' China president.
Airbus said it aims to win at least half of China\'s market share in five years, in line with its global share.
At the end of August 2004, Airbus had a total of 250 aircraft in service with airlines in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macau accounting for 31 percent of the market share, compared with 7 percent in 1995.
Last year, Airbus overtook Boeing in global commercial plane deliveries.
Airbus said on Monday it plans to set up an engineering center in China, with about 200 staff by the end of 2008. It said Beijing is a possible location.
