Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday that there’s “reason to hope” that Boeing will win a contract potentially worth more than $3 billion to sell planes to Rosavia, Russia’s new state-run airline.

“In terms of Rosavia, we have representatives of that company here,” Clinton said during a visit to Boeing’s design center in Moscow. “We obviously hope that Boeing is their selection.”

Boeing seeks to sell 50 narrow-body planes with options for 15 more, Boeing spokesman Dmitry Krol said by telephone.

The 50 planes are worth at least $3.6 billion, according to catalog prices for the Boeing 737-800 on the company’s web site.

Boeing and rival Airbus have until Oct. 16 to submit their proposals, an Airbus spokeswoman said, declining to be identified in line with company policy.

Russia’s airplane maker Irkut was also invited to participate.