Saudi Arabia snubbed Boeing with a huge Airbus order, the biggest aircraft deal in the country's history
Courtesy of Saudia
- The Saudia Group announced an order for 105 Airbus jets on Monday.
- It comes as a reported Boeing order from Riyadh Air, also government-owned, has yet to materialize.
- Its CEO blamed negative media coverage as to why he hasn't yet announced the deal.
The Saudia Group announced Monday a huge Airbus order in a blow to Boeing.
105 narrowbody jets — a mix of A320neo and A321neo models — will be distributed between the flag carrier Saudia and its subsidiary low-cost-carrier flyadeal.
In a press release, the Saudia Group called it "the largest aircraft deal in Saudi aviation history."
Saudia is owned by the country's government, and the airline's chairman is also the transport minister.
The deal suggests Boeing's reputation is worsening around the world because the planemaker has formerly won big orders from the kingdom.
Last March, Saudi Arabia founded a second national airline, Riyadh Air, which placed an order for up to 72 Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
Boeing also looked set to win the deal for Riyadh Air's narrowbody jets. Shortly before last November's Dubai Air Show, Bloomberg reported that Riyadh Air was eyeing up an order for as many as 100 Boeing 737 Max jets.
However, that order has yet to materialize.
Tony Douglas, the Riyadh Air CEO, blamed negative media coverage during an interview with Reuters on Monday.
"What happened was the media three weeks later spent every hour of every day writing negative stories about commercial aviation," he said.
Douglas told Reuters he wasn't referring to January's blowout, in which an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max lost a door plug in midair.
"The last thing I want to do is present my good news and have it in a context of things that are going on elsewhere, which are not quite as positive," he added. "Be it Airbus can't deliver on time [or] Boeing is having some technical problem."