Airbus Near Blockbuster
$23 Billion Jet Sale to AirAsia
By
and
14. juli 2018 16:36 CEST Updated on 14. juli 2018 18:13 CEST
· Asian carrier weighs order for 100 next-gen A321s, 34 A330neos
·
Deal could be announced in coming week
at Farnborough air show
An
Airbus A321neo airliner
Photographer:
Dominique Boutin/TASS via Getty Images
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Airbus SE is closing in on a blockbuster agreement to sell $23
billion worth of aircraft, based on list prices, to AirAsia Group Bhd., according to people familiar with the
matter.
The Malaysian airline, already the second-biggest customer for Airbus’s
re-engined A320 narrowbody, is weighing an order for as many as 100 A321neo
aircraft, according to people familiar with the discussions. AirAsia is
simultaneously close to agreeing to order an additional 34 A330neo widebodies,
which would bring its total backlog for that aircraft to 100.
The orders are still subject to final negotiations, said the people, who
asked not to be named discussing private talks. While no deal has been reached,
the sides are close enough that at least part of the sale could be announced
next week during the Farnborough Air Show outside London, the industry’s
largest trade expo this year, the people said.
Airbus declined to comment. AirAsia declined comment.
The purchase of the A321neos
would catapult AirAsia ahead of India’s Interglobe Aviation Ltd. as the biggest customer for Airbus’s
marquee narrowbody jet, extending the Malaysian carrier’s existing orders to
504 planes.
Even more crucial for Airbus, a decision to take more of the larger
A330neos would reaffirm AirAsia’s commitment to that widebody program amid
heavy competition with Boeing’s fast-selling 787 Dreamliner. As negotiations
heated up last week, AirAsia Chief Executive Officer Tony Fernandes fired an
unconventional shot at Airbus with a tweet en route to a meeting at the
manufacturer’s Toulouse, France, headquarters:
“We have ordered the 330 but to
finally confirm it we must make sure price is right. Performance is right.
Engine is right,” Fernandes said on Twitter. “If right the
plane we dreamt of and fought for and then we can order more. Or else.”
The new planes would help
Fernandes further his plan to build a pan-Asian budget airline and capture a share
of a market dominated by Gulf-based carriers and Air India. In India, he’s
planning more domestic flights, while international operations are on the cards
early next year. AirAsia Group also has a long-haul arm, AirAsia X Bhd., whose
more than 20 destinations include Auckland, Tokyo, Sapporo, Chengdu, Shanghai,
Melbourne, the Gold Coast and Honolulu.
For Airbus, a win for the
A330neo would follow months of setbacks for the twin-engined jet after Boeing beat out the
European planemaker in key contests. Most recently, Airbus lost an order when India’s Vistar chose the Dreamliner. The
aircraft, originally designed as a quick and easy upgrade to its popular A330
predecessor, has struggled to stack up orders, with a backlog of 224 aircraft
including 10 booked last month from an unidentified customer.”.
The A321neo, the largest of the A320 family, has a list price of $129.5
million, while the dual-aisle A330-900 has a sticker price of $296.4 million.
Airlines typically benefit from significant discounts to list prices.
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