Key lessor sees good start for Boeing 7E7 = = = = Thursday April 29, 8:04 PM EDT = By Chris Stetkiewicz EVERETT, Washington, April 29 (Reuters) - Boeing Co. (BA) is off to a goo= d start shopping its new 7E7 jetliner, but the aircraft has a long way to= go before overtaking the competing mid-sized aircraft from rival Airbus = SAS (EAD) (EAD), a major aircraft lessor said on Thursday. "I think the program will get off to a good start. We're confident that B= oeing will get additional orders this year from some high profile custome= rs ... and we'll see how Airbus will respond," said Steven Udvar-Hazy, ch= ief executive of Interational Lease Finance Corp. Airbus has insisted its A330-200 wide-body could deliver comparable opera= ting costs to the 7E7, billed as a fuel-sipping money saver for cash-stra= pped airlines. = = = Hazy, a shrewd aircraft buyer who came to Everett, Washington, to take de= livery of a new jet from Boeing's wide-body aircraft plant, said the A330= was a strong competitor to the 7E7. "My feeling is that airlines will go in both directions," Hazy told repor= ters, moments after a speech in which he told Boeing employees the 7E7 wo= uld keep Boeing at the "forefront of commercial aviation for decades to c= ome." Boeing this week unveiled its first customer for the wide-body 7E7, Japan= 's All Nippon Airways Co. (9202). But skeptics suggest political influenc= e may have helped the sale, since Boeing handed a chunk of 7E7 manufactur= ing work to Japanese companies. Still, the 50-aircraft ANA order was a momentum-builder and Asian airline= s are among the most eager 7E7 customers, Hazy said, citing Singaprore Ai= rlines (SIAL), Air China, China Southern Airlines Co. (1055) and Emirates= Airlines as potential launch customers. "I think there's increasing interest and I think the rest of this year we= 'll see a lot of (7E7) activity," Hazy said. At the same event Boeing's top European salesman, Marlin Dailey, said he = sees European customers accounting for 30 percent of total 7E7 sales. But Boeing has had little luck pitching the aircraft to U.S. carriers, ma= ny of which are still struggling in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, = hijack attacks in the United States. ILFC, a unit of American International Group Inc. (AIG), has not yet deci= ded to place a 7E7 launch order, which typically gives a buyer greater sa= y over aircraft configuration and options and a fat discount off the list= price, which is about $120 million for a 7E7. "That's a corporate decision that we have not made yet," Hazy said, thoug= h top Boeing commercial jet officials have paid him repeated visits. Airbus has a reputation for offering airlines lower prices than Boeing, a= nd Hazy expects the European manufacturer to employ that strategy in A330= -7E7 competitions. "Intially price is going to be an area where Airbus will try to compete,"= Hazy said, though Airbus could ultimately match many of the technologica= l improvements on the newer 7E7. Airbus last year pulled ahead of Boeing for the first time ever, deliveri= ng more commercial jets. Many industry analysts considered the 7E7, due t= o come to market in 2008, Boeing's last chance to keep pace with Airbus n= ewer aircraft designs. Airbus has launched the world's largest jetliner, the 555-seat A380, bank= ing on increasing traffic between major cities. ILFC was among the first to order the A380, despite some initial hesitati= on, and Hazy sees that aircraft off to a good start as well. = =A92004 Reuters Limited. = Roger EWROPS