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Boeing may sell 100 planes in the Middle East this year

"We are looking this year at somewhere between 50 and 100 planes," Lee Monson, Boeing's senior vice-president for commercial airplanes, said yesterday in an interview at the U.S.-Middle East and North Africa Trade and Investment Conference in Jordan.

"There will be some deals done. I think it's mostly in the Gulf."

Dubai-based Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways are among the biggest customers for Boeing and Airbus SAS, the world's largest commercial-airplane maker, as the region's governments encourage the creation of hubs for tourism and transit flights between Europe, Asia and Africa. DAE, formed in 2006 with the goal of becoming one of the world's biggest airport and aviation-services companies, is also a customer.

Boeing's 787 Dreamliner continues to be a topic of discussion among clients in the region, Monson said, declining to identify potential customers. Boeing postponed delivery of the Dreamliner for a second time on January 16 because of assembly delays. Dreamliner is now eight months behind schedule, with the first delivery set for early 2009. Arab airlines are expected to increase their combined fleet to 900 aircraft by 2015 from 550 planes in 2006 according to the Arab Carriers Organisation. In November, Monson said Boeing expected to win orders for about 150 planes from the ME in 2007.