Korean Air orders 30 Boeing Dreamliners in long-haul expansion

Korean Air Lines agreed to buy 20 widebody Boeing 787 aircraft and lease 10 more as the US planemaker got off the mark at the Paris Air Show after rival Airbus clinched a series of sales. The Seoul-based airline will buy 10 new 787-10s and 10 additional 787-9 airplanes valued at $6.3b at current list prices, the carrier said Tuesday. That will quadruple the long-haul fleet of Korea’s flagship airline, which is expanding its fleet and replacing aging jets following a transpacific joint venture with Delta. The Korean deal is a welcome boost to Boeing, which is battling to restore its reputation after two fatal crashes of its 737 Max planes in Indonesia and Ethiopia over a five-month period. Airbus secured $13b in new jet orders on the first day of the Paris industry event Monday, compared with zero for its Seattle-based competitor, including deals with Air Lease Corp. and Virgin Atlantic Airways. <br/>