US aircraft maker Boeing said on Thursday that it has reached a "substantial" deal to sell its new fuel-efficient 7E7 Dreamliner to Chinese airlines.
A company spokesman made the comment after the Wall Street Journal reported that six Chinese airlines had concluded a deal with Boeing to order up to 60 airplanes in a deal worth up to US$7.2 billion.
"Boeing and China have reached a substantial agreement," Boeing spokeswoman Mary Hendson said, without elaborating.
Another Boeing source confirmed the deal was for the new 7E7 aircraft but gave no number of aircraft.
After meeting with Chinese embassy and airline officials in the US capital, Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell welcomed what her office described in a statement as a "pre-sale agreement."
"This is an important step toward a final deal, and I am encouraged by my discussions with Chinese officials," Cantwell said.
"I look forward to working together with all parties to help finalize this deal as quickly as possible," she added.
Boeing said company officials would attend a signing ceremony in Washington yesterday with US government officials, the Chinese ambassador and Chinese executives at the Commerce Department.
The Journal said the deal was to be formally announced yesterday by the US Commerce Department after "months of negotiating and diplomatic delays," without elaborating.
The report said the order would be worth about US$7.2 billion at list prices, and would boost Boeing's efforts to launch its new 250-seat jetliner in the global marketplace.
The Journal said Chinese aviation sources indicated the six major airlines in China have been eager to order the 7E7s so that the first of the planes can be delivered in time for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Boeing's shares were up 2.23 percent to US$50.97 on Wall Street.
The aircraft maker fell well short of its goal of getting 200 firm orders for the Dreamliner by the end of last year. Boeing received 126 orders for 7E7s, 56 of them from last year.
The 7E7 has faced enormous competition from the just-launched A350 built by its rival European consortium Airbus.
The Chinese order would be a victory for the US company, which is in a fierce battle with Airbus to conquer China's market.
Boeing's signing ceremony yesterday was to coincide with Airbus' own ceremony in Paris signing a deal with China Southern Airlines for five Airbus A380s, the world's largest commercial airliner with the capacity to carry up to 840 passengers on two decks.
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