Gulf Air orders Airbus jets worth $5 bln

0 Comments | AFP, May, 2008

FRANKFURT (AFP) — Bahrain's Gulf Air has ordered 35 Airbus medium- and long-haul aircraft in a deal worth five billion dollars (3.2 billion euros), it was announced here Wednesday.

The order for 15 Airbus A320s and 20 Airbus A330s is worth "five billion dollars at catalogue prices," Airbus commercial director John Leahy said at the Berlin Air Show.

Leahy acknowledged that major contracts often included negotiated discounts and the final value of aerospace deals is often a closely guarded secret.

The outcome can vary widely depending on the economic situation, the number of aircraft sold and whether or not the client has bought planes from the same manufacturer in the past.

Wednesday's deal was signed by Gulf Air boss Bjoern Naef, a Swiss national,...