PARIS, Dec 16 (Reuters) – Airbus (AIR.PA) completed a triple crown of aircraft orders at the expense of rival Boeing (BA.N)on Thursday with a deal to supply 100 narrowbody jets to Air France-KLM subsidiaries in the airline group’s largest purchase based on number of jets.
The planemaker’s third big win in 36 hours – after deals in Singapore and Australia – involves Dutch subsidiary KLM and a pair of low-cost units, all of which have traditionally relied solely on Boeing for widely used medium-haul passenger planes.
The contract covers Airbus A320neo and A321neo aircraft and will renew the medium-haul fleets of KLM and Dutch low-cost unit Transavia Netherlands, while also allowing for both the renewal and expansion of the fleet at sister unit Transavia France.
The bigger-than-expected order from Europe’s second-largest airline group by fleet size came hours after Airbus clinched a deal to supply two tranches of aircraft to Australia’s Qantas (QAN.AX) in a separate defeat for existing supplier Boeing. Read more