NO PRIVATE AIRLINE WILL FLY THEM (via The Other Brother):

Branson Twists Knife In Airbus' Back With Boeing Order (Aero-News, 26 Apr '07)

Sir Richard Branson is irked at Airbus, for three delays in Virgin Atlantic's order for the A380 superjumbo.

How irked? Branson posed with Boeing executives to announce his decision to purchase as many as 43 Boeing 787 Dreamliners for Virgin, snubbing the Airbus A350 XWB. But he didn't stop there, reports Forbes.

The statement from Virgin said its new partnership with Boeing would benefit the environment, because the US-made 787 burns 27 per cent less fuel per passenger-mile than the Airbus A340s it will replace.

Ouch. But Branson still wasn't through.

Branson -- never at a loss for words -- also called the A380 "a financial disaster", suggesting Airbus will be hard-pressed to ever sell enough of the planes to turn a profit.

It's revealing that pretty much the only orders extant are from state-owned airlines. They'll just cancel the A380 program, and would have already were it not a government jobs program.

MORE:
Nigerian order caps Boeing's big day (Dominic Gates, 4/27/07, Seattle Times)

At Boeing Field on Thursday, Roman Catholic Archbishop Patrick Ekpu, of Nigeria, sprinkled holy water from a Fairmont Hotel water bottle onto two new 737-700s.

With that, the jets were officially baptized Michael and Martin — the names are painted on the fuselage — after the two sons of J.I.A. Arumemi-Johnson, chairman of Nigerian startup airline Arik Air. Before the elaborate 737 delivery ceremony, Arumemi-Johnson announced a big order for seven Boeing wide-bodies: three 787-9 Dreamliners, two ultra-long haul 777-200LRs and two 777-300ERs. The order previously was booked as being from an unidentified customer.

The order appears to secure for Boeing the fledgling airline market in a country that, though troubled, is rapidly developing, thanks to oil wealth. The 737s parked behind him as he spoke are the first new airplanes sold into the Nigerian market in 25 years. Arik bought them not from Boeing but from U.S. carrier Air Tran, which sold the 737s to the African airline directly off the production line.

The Arik announcement capped a big order day for Boeing, as the planemaker also announced new firm orders for 16 jets. India's Spicejet ordered 10 Boeing 737-800s and Oak Hill Capital Partners, a private-equity firm, ordered six Boeing 777 freighters.

Posted by Orrin Judd at April 27, 2007 9:58 AM