AIRBUS is closing in on a preliminary deal with Philippine budget airline Cebu Air for dozens of narrow-body jets to be announced in the coming days, two people familiar with the matter said on Friday (Jun 28).
Cebu Air, which operates as Cebu Pacific, and Airbus both declined to comment on any commercial discussions.
The airline has been looking to order 100-150 narrow-body jets from Boeing or Airbus worth up to US$12 billion at list prices in what was seen as potentially the Philippines’ largest jet purchase.
One of the sources said the final number of jets could be below 100, focusing mainly on A321neo models.
Cebu Pacific has said it aims to more than double its fleet by 2035 to take advantage of a long-term travel boom across South-east Asia following the pandemic.
It operates a fleet of 64 Airbus and 14 ATR aircraft, which will increase to 92 by end-2024.
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Bloomberg news reported earlier this month that Cebu was set to favour Airbus for up to 150 airplanes. REUTERS
