LE BOURGET, France — Boeing said Tuesday that it had formally committed to building a stretched version of its flagship 787 Dreamliner jet after receiving firm orders for 102 of the planes from five airlines and aircraft leasing companies.
The announcement gives the American plane maker orders for the new variant worth more than $29 billion at list prices — a welcome bit of news for the Dreamliner program after troubles with its lightweight but volatile lithium-ion batteries grounded the entire 787 fleet for three months this year.
“Our team and our customers are excited about growing the product line and expanding our presence with this family of airplanes,” said Raymond L. Conner, the chief executive of Boeing’s commercial aircraft division. “Our ongoing investment in the 787 family is well-founded.”
Boeing’s news came on the second day of the Paris Air Show soon after an announcement by its European rival, Airbus, that it had secured an $11.5 billion commitment from the British budget airline easyJet to purchase at least 135 of its smaller A320 single-aisle planes.
Boeing’s latest Dreamliner, known as the 787-10, is designed to seat up to 330 passengers — more than the 210 to 290 seats on the models currently in production — and is meant to compete directly with the largest version of Airbus’s forthcoming A350-XWB, which made its inaugural flight last week.
Boeing said it had received firm commitments from three airlines and two lessors from North America, Asia and Europe. Air Lease Corp., the American leasing company founded by Steven Udvar-Hazy, signed a memorandum of understanding Tuesday for 30 of the planes, while United Airlines, which already has six 787s in its fleet and orders for at least 25 more, ordered 20 of the stretch variant.
GE Capital Aviation Services, another lessor, as well as Singapore Airlines, firmed up previously announced commitments for 10 and 30 planes, respectively. British Airways said it would buy 12 planes, subject to the approval of its shareholders.
Boeing said it planned to begin deliveries of the 787-10 in 2018, just after Airbus says it expects to deliver the first 350-seat version of its A350, in 2017.
The competition between Boeing and Airbus in the market for wide-body jets in the 300- to 400-seat category has intensified as the nascent global economic recovery encourages airlines to invest in larger, longer-range aircraft after several years of brisk purchases of single-aisle jets like the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737.
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