Boeing, the US aircraft maker, on Wednesday scored an important strategic victory over Airbus, its European rival, by taking a fiercely contested order from Qantas, the Australian flag carrier for up to 115 of its mid-sized, long range 787 Dreamliners.

Boeing defeated a rival offer for the Airbus A350 to win a deal that could eventually be worth around $18bn at list prices and before heavy discounts.