Associated Press

KARACHI, Pakistan - Pakistan's private airline Airblue plans to buy between eight and 14 new passenger jets, with the company choosing between Airbus A320s or new generation Boeing 737s, the airline said Thursday.

The company will decide within the next two months, Airblue Chief Operating Officer Shahid Khaqan Abbasi told reporters.

The deal is expected to be worth between $400 million and $700 million, he said.

"The airline needs short- to medium-haul aircraft," he said.

Airblue, which started operations in 2004, is one of the country's two private domestic carriers. State-run Pakistan International Airlines dominates the country's passenger and cargo markets.

Airblue currently flies to seven Pakistani cities, as well as to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and Manchester in Britain. It currently operates six A320s.

The airline has good prospects for growth in Europe and the Middle East, Abbasi said, with more flights being planned to Dubai and Manchester.

Pakistan's air traffic market is tiny. Aviation experts believe it could grow with the economy, which is expected to expand 7.2 percent in the current fiscal year.

Copyright 2007 Associated Press

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