Japan’s ANA Holdings Inc said on Tuesday it would order at least 38 planes worth $4.33 billion from Boeing Co and Airbus, and buy a stake in Philippines Airlines’ parent PAL Holdings Inc to support its Asia growth strategy.
SEATTLE/TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s ANA Holdings Inc said on Tuesday it would order at least 38 planes worth $4.33 billion from Boeing Co and Airbus, and buy a stake in Philippines Airlines’ parent PAL Holdings Inc to support its Asia growth strategy.
The order, confirming earlier Reuters reports, is the first in Japan for the newest version of Boeing’s best-selling 737 family and comes at a time when the country is facing pressure from Washington to cut its trade surplus with the United States.
It also raises the stakes in a battle for orders of the industry’s largest category of airliner, allowing Boeing to weaken a bridgehead held by its European rival Airbus in the narrowbody fleet of one of its most strategic customers.
ANA had been the first airline from Japan to pick Airbus’ latest narrowbody aircraft five years ago.
“The decision was based on the economic growth of Asia and emerging countries, with demand in the Asian aviation market and inbound demand on the rise,” ANA said of the latest orders.
