Nile Air, a startup Egyptian airline that plans to launch operations in the 2008 first quarter, placed a firm order for nine A321s valued at nearly $800 million and signed an MOU "to base its future fleet on the A321," Airbus said. The Cairo-based carrier plans to serve Riyadh, Jeddah, Medina, Dammam, Kuwait, Dubai, Doha and Bahrain with passenger and freight service. "The A321 is the perfect solution to provide our required balance between volume, cost efficiency and return on investment," Nile Air Chairman Nasser A. Al-Tayyar said. Atwonline