Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chairman of Emirates Group, will be in Seattle next month for a briefing on Boeing's sonic cruiser.

"I will be there in Seattle for an evaluation of the project. But it's far too early to say whether Emirates airline will make a commitment for the aircraft," Sheikh Ahmed said. Last month a high-level team from Dubai visited Seattle for a briefing on the project.

Boeing expects the aircraft to fly by 2006. Paul Dubeck, Boeing's international sales director, said, "We work closely with all our customers on any new development. There are no secrets in our development process. It's almost like a family."

Emirates expects to have a fleet of 210 aircraft within ten years. There are also plans for a major route expansion and direct flights to the U.S. Meanwhile, Boeing will now have an Arabic online version of its commercial airplane group's Forum monthly news publication.

This is the first time Forum is being published online in a language other than English. The Arabic Online Forum will have industry features, global updates on Boeing's commercial airplane news, reviews of new products and services, orders and delivery schedules of the month, and glimpses into the other company sectors.

The new version will be produced in the Dubai Media City. e-Promoseven has been appointed to produce, manage and distribute the newsletter. "Arabic Online Forum will help Boeing forge even closer links with its customers as well as with others in the region's commercial aviation industry," Sheikh Ahmed said.