Etihad plans to announce US$6.7b engine orders at Paris Air Show

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, plans to announce engine orders valued at about US$6.7 billion including service at the Paris Air Show, according to three people familiar with the matter. The engines are for 100 Airbus SAS and Boeing Co. aircraft announced at the Farnborough International Air Show last year, said the people, who asked not be identified before an official announcement this week according to a report in Bloomberg.
General Electric Co. beat Rolls-Royce Group Plc in getting contracts for 35 of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliners, while the US supplier’s Engine Alliance venture with United Technologies Corp.’s Pratt & Whitney will provide engines for 10 superjumbo A380s, two of the people said. International Aero Engines, a venture led by Pratt & Whitney and London-based Rolls-Royce, won an order to power 20 A320 aircraft, they said.
While airframe makers work to keep contracts they already have, engine manufacturers are fighting for wins from the few areas of the world with cash to spend, such as the Middle East. Orders, especially for larger ones, can lag airframe contracts as carriers weigh options such as including engines with common parts to make maintenance less expensive. Etihad Chief Executive Officer James Hogan is scheduled to host two press conferences on June 16 in Le Bourget, where the biennial Paris Air Show is held, according to an invitation.