Will Start Flying In 2012

Airbus announced Monday that Yemenia-Yemen Airways has selected the Airbus A350-800 as part of its long-term fleet modernization program, and has signed a preliminary agreement to buy six of the planes with options for another four.

Airline chairman Abdulkhaled Al-Kadi said his airline plans to use the new medium-range aircraft to expand its international routes.

"Recent business trends are remarkably well," said Al-Kadi in a statement announcing the order. "Yemenia is expecting double-digit growth annually. This is why there is a focus on fleet, human resources training and networking."

Airbus told Forbes that deliveries of the A350s will start in 2012. The deal is valued at $1.6 billion list, although the actual price will likely be much less.

Those planes add a few more orders to the books for the European Consortium's answer to Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, which will be delivered to customers two years sooner than the A350. At 291 firm orders, the Dreamliner currently has more than 100 more orders on the books than Airbus' plane.

Fourteen customers have selected the A350 to date, for a total of 182 aircraft.

According to the Yemenia website, the airline currently flies two Airbus A330-200s, four A310-300s, and three Boeing 737-800s.

FMI: www.airbus.com, www.yemenia.com