@Air Asia 200-300 A320
Ma da 200 a 300 c'è una bella differenza, voglio dire non è che sono 200 o 220....
Lo so anca mi, ma la carta canta. Cusita dice la Reutersi cosi ti dico mi
June 22, 2011
Airbus and AirAsia are putting the finishing touches to a USD$17 billion deal for up to 200 aircraft at the Paris Air Show after flirting with dizzying figures as high as 300, including options, industry sources said.
The purchase, expected to be announced on Thursday, will be the climax of a week in which Airbus has been battling hard to secure momentum for its revamped A320neo plane.
The plane maker is gambling on demand from airlines anxious to cut fuel costs, as rival Boeing ponders whether to update its competing 737 aircraft or invest more money in leapfrogging Airbus with a new plane.
Industry sources said on the eve of the air show that Airbus and AirAsia were close to a deal for 200 aircraft.
The deal is one of the most keenly awaited orders of the air show and could eclipse a USD$16 billion deal for 180 A320neo's from India's IndiGo, expected to be closed on Wednesday.
Scenarios hammered out in weeks of negotiations between AirAsia and Airbus include 150 A320neo planes worth USD$12 billion plus options for 50 more, or 200 aircraft plus 100 options, aviation industry sources said.
However, a source familiar with the matter said the airline was likely to be cautious in topping up the deal with options.
An option is a commitment from the manufacturer to save a production slot for the customer but involves some cost to the airline, as the plane maker cannot sell the slot to others.
Options are not usually announced with air show orders.
Both companies declined to comment.
AirAsia chief executive Tony Fernandes has talked publicly of a bid to buy at least 150 aircraft as he sets out to more than double the airline in size to rival Southwest Airlines, but he told reporters last week the ball was "in Airbus' court".
The airline was named the world's best low-cost carrier in an award ceremony on the sidelines of the show on Wednesday.
(Reuters)
