Boeing eyes Mideast sales of 150 jets in 2007

US giant Boeing said Saturday it was hoping to bag orders for up to 150 new aircraft from the Middle East region by the end of 2007.
"We will try to finish the year with 150 (aircraft) orders from the region," Boeing's Middle East chief of commercial airplane sales Lee Monson told reporters here on the eve of the Dubai Air Show.
Monson refrained from disclosing details of orders or clients saying that the five-day exhibition -- the world's third largest air show -- will see major announcements.
He said an announcement for one big order for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner will take place during the week, without giving further details.
Only a single order for 22 aircraft placed by Kuwait's leasing company ALAFCO appears on Boeing's order book from the region for 2007.
Boeing and its European arch rival Airbus are set to go head-to-head in a bruising battle to win new business at the Dubai Air Show, setting their sights on the booming Gulf airline sector.
Dubai-based Emirates could announce plans to buy 100 long-haul carriers, choosing between Boeing's 787 Dreamliner and Airbus's A350 XWB.