Gulf Air in $6 billion deal with Boeing for 787 Dreamliner jets

Gulf Air, Bahrain's national carrier, has signed a $6 billion agreement with Boeing for 24 Dreamliner aircraft. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2016.

According to reports, the deal includes a firm order for 16 787-8 jets, worth $3.4 billion, and options for an additional eight.

Reports quote airline spokesmen as saying that the carrier is also considering other aircraft from Boeing and rival, Airbus, to fly short-haul routes and very likely may increase order size to a total of 45 new aircraft, including Sunday's order.

So far, the Dreamliner has racked up more than 800 orders for Boeing, at list prices of more than $120 billion. In terms of commercial orders for 2007, it came in behind Boeing's narrow-body offering, the 737.