DUBAI, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Boeing ( BA ) hit back at the

Dubai Airshow with a provisional order for 75 of its 737 MAX

jets from flydubai on Wednesday, a day after the long-time

Boeing ( BA ) customer handed an order for 150 competing A321neo

aircraft to its arch-rival Airbus.

Flydubai said in a statement that the order would include

options for another 75 Boeing ( BA ) jets.

The defection to Airbus had been one of the major talking

points of the largest Middle East aviation event, held at the

site of a new airport that will be flydubai's home by 2032.

Boeing ( BA ) had continued to negotiate a deal involving dozens of

jets to claw back part of its share of the growth of one of its

most important 737 MAX operators, Reuters reported this week.

The deal allows flydubai to choose at a later date which of

three 737 MAX variants - the MAX 8, MAX 9 or the

as-yet-uncertified MAX 10 - it needs, the airline said.

In an interview earlier, CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith described

Boeing ( BA ) as "my home" and said the U.S. planemaker would

emerge stronger from its recent crisis, but noted the Airbus

planes had been chosen mainly for their extra range and size.

(Ahmed Elimam, Federico Maccioni, Tim Hepher; Editing by Conor

Humphries)