Qatar's Airbus buy looms, Boeing out-sources LE BOURGET, France (Reuters) =97 Airbus confirmed on Tuesday that a "major= =20 deal" to sell planes at this week's Paris Air Show was imminent, with=20 sources predicting a much-anticipated order from Qatar Airways.=20 Chicago-based Boeing had been in the running as recently as last week=20 hoping to sell its wide-body 777 model to Qatar, an all-Airbus carrier, but= =20 sources said it had lost out. "There's an announcement Wednesday and=20 there's one Thursday," said an Airbus spokesman, declining to comment on=20 when Qatar was scheduled. A source close to the company said the Qatar deal= =20 would come on Thursday. Industry sources told Reuters that Qatar would not= =20 be buying new planes from Boeing, something the airline said it was still=20 considering last week. A Qatar spokesman told Reuters last week the airline= =20 would announce a deal at the Paris show and was considering buying Airbus=20 A330-200s, planes it already flies, as well as aircraft for longer flights= =20 such as Airbus A340-600s and Boeing 777s. Qatar Chief Executive Akbar al-Baker plans to expand the carrier in coming= =20 years as it competes with fast-growing rival Emirates, which announced a=20 deal for Airbus planes worth more than $12 billion at the Paris show on=20 Monday. Al-Baker was expected to attend as the Airbus deal is announced, a= =20 source said. Qatar is one of the world's fastest-growing airlines, with=20 plans to extend to 50 destinations this year from 40. Analysts said some of= =20 the aircraft in the pending deal may be leased, possibly from American=20 International Group unit International Lease Finance Corp (ILFC), which has= =20 worked with Qatar in the past. The deal would extend Airbus's lead in new=20 orders this year as it already has 197 versus 38 for Boeing, which has not= =20 netted a single order so far at the Paris show, the world's biggest=20 aerospace fair. Emirates and Qatar are among only a few airlines which=20 still boast the financial firepower necessary to place big jet orders.=20 Airbus aims to deliver 300 jets this year, while Boeing expects to deliver= =20 about 280 jets. Airbus, based in Toulouse, France, is 80% owned by European= =20 aerospace giant EADS, with the rest held by BAE Systems of the UK. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@xxxxxxxxx Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Mas Site: www.tntisland.com/tntrecords/mas2003/ Site of the Week: http://www.carib-link.net/naparima/naps.html TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************