DUBAI (Reuters) - Air Arabia (AIRA.DU: Quote, Profile, Research), the Middle East's largest low-cost carrier, said on Sunday it would raise around $1.6 billion in conventional and Islamic loans and bonds to finance the purchase of about 40 short-haul aircraft.
"We'll make an order in the next couple of days," Air Arabia Chief Executive Adel Ali told Reuters at the Dubai Airshow, which started on Sunday.
"It will be in the region of 40 planes," Ali said.
Each plane would cost around $50 million, he said, indicating a total cost of about $2 billion.
Air Arabia said last week it was looking to buy between 34 and 50 aircraft and would choose this month between U.S plane maker Boeing's (BA.N: Quote, Profile, Research) 737s and the A320 from European rival Airbus.
The carrier would borrow about 80 percent of the cost of the planes in a combination of loans and bonds, Ali said, without being more specific.
http://www.reuters.com/article/press...13985920071111
Looks like a Bus order, unless it was a REALLY good deal from Boeing!