The US jet maker, which lost its position as the world's biggest commercial aircraft maker to Toulouse, France-based Airbus in 2004 and 2005, held its first China roadshow of its 787 jet yesterday.

Boeing hopes to use the 787 Dreamliner, which targets the mid-sized long-range market and with first delivery planned in 2008, to reclaim its leading position in the competition with Airbus.

The A350 aircraft, which is undergoing a redesign and will only be delivered in 2012, has so far won no order from Chinese airlines.

"It's a competitive market but Boeing is expected to take more than half of the market (on such planes) as we have the advantage in timing," said Michael Bair, vice president and general manager of the 787 Program at Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

Robert Laird, BCA vice president of China sales, said China is set to be the world's fastest-growing aviation market in the next 20 years with an annual nine percent growth in passengers and 15 percent in cargo.

"China needs 2,800 aircraft in the coming 20 years to replace existing airplanes and as airlines expand their fleets," Laird said, adding that Boeing is confident to take a major share of that.

So far Chinese airlines have committed 60 orders for the 787, of which 57 are firm orders. That's out of the 787's global orders of 455, with 432 firm orders.

Air China and China Eastern Airlines has each ordered 15, with eight by Hainan Airlines, nine by Shanghai Airlines and 10 by China Southern Airlines.

With a list price of US$150 million, the 787, similar in size with the Boeing 767, seats between 200 and 300 passengers and can fly for a distance of between 3,500 and 8,500 nautical miles (6,500 to 16,000 kilometers), such as Shanghai to Los Angeles and Beijing to New York.

It is designed to use 20 percent less fuel than today's airplanes of comparable size and provide airlines with up to 45 percent more cargo revenue capacity, Boeing said.

The A350 family is seen as Airbus's answer to the 787 in the market for mid-sized jets. The A350 can fly on long distances on two engines instead of four.

Airbus, which had to delay deliveries of its A380 superjumbo, had originally hoped to use an old fuselage for the A350 design, but after criticism by airlines and poor sales against the Boeing's all-new 787 it had to redesign the plane at potentially twice the original four billion euro (US$5.02 billion) cost. The A350 has won 100 orders globally so far.

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