British Airways Parent To Buy 30 Boeing Jets In Win For US

British Airways parent IAG SA is poised to order about 30 Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner aircraft, according to people familiar with the matter, as the US planemaker snags an early win under President Donald Trump's new trade deal with the UK.

The order may include options that increase the number of planes, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing a private matter. General Electric Co. will supply the 787 engines, one of the people said.

A deal would provide a much-needed shot of confidence to the embattled planemaker. The largest US exporter of manufactured goods has been a target for countries stung by the wide-ranging tariffs rolled out by the Trump administration. China, one of the world's largest aircraft markets, has stopped taking deliveries and the European Union has proposed tariffs on American-made jets if its own talks with the US sputter.

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick teased the Boeing order earlier on Thursday, telling reporters that an unnamed British airline would buy $10 billion worth of Boeing planes as he and Trump unveiled a broad trade deal with the UK.

“Aircraft continue to be the ultimate trade balancer,” Jefferies analyst Sheila Kahyaoglu said in a note to clients on Thursday.

Boeing's shares rose as much as 5% as of 3:07 p.m. in New York on Thursday amid broader market gains after Trump said tariffs on China could be eased if trade talks go well. The stock has recently recovered from a rout late last year as Boeing faced a liquidity squeeze and a crippling labor strike.

IAG is Boeing's largest customer in the UK and is wrapping up a widebody campaign that pits Boeing's 787 Dreamliner and 777X models against competing Airbus SE models. The European planemaker may also receive some orders, some the people said.

Representatives for Airbus, Boeing, GE and IAG declined to comment.

Lutnick provided a further boost for aerospace manufacturers during the trade-deal announcement when he said that engines from Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc and other aircraft suppliers from the UK won't be subject to tariffs.

The aviation industry has been furiously lobbying the White House and Congress to adhere to a 45-year-old treaty that allowed aircraft and parts to mostly be traded duty-free across borders.

Boeing offers Rolls-Royce engines as one option in its 787 Dreamliner. IAG has purchased planes with turbines from both Rolls-Royce and GE.

In London, Rolls-Royce shares advanced 3.7% while aerospace supplier Melrose Industries Plc, which provides components for both Boeing and Airbus, led the FTSE 100 with a 5.2% gain.