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Bombardier almost won a crucial order from Delta Air Lines the last time the airline bought new single-aisle planes, but a deal fell apart when the plane maker told Delta it would not make a bigger version of its C Series aircraft. Now, as the two companies again appear close to a single-aisle order, the industry is abuzz with chatter about whether Bombardier has agreed to stretch the CS300 to include a plane for Delta that would offer as many as 175 seats. The negotiations on a new Delta order have their roots in the 2011 competition, when the C Series made the finals, battling against Airbus and Boeing. An order from Delta now would be a breakthrough for the C Series, which is more than 2 years behind schedule and more than US$2b over budget. <br/>

Airbus said Tuesday that Garuda had signed a firm purchase order for 14 of its new generation wide-bodied A330-900neo airliner for US$4b. The deal for the re-engined version of Airbus' popular A330 airliner is designed to bolster Garuda's expansion. Airbus said the order, for delivery from 2019, replaces and extends an existing one for 7 of the earlier version A330-300 planes. Airbus said the deal was a milestone in a partnership stretching back more than 30 years. Airbus said Garuda intends to use the A330neo "to develop its medium and long haul network, with the aircraft offering cutting edge technology along with more efficient operations." Arif Wibowo, Garuda CE, said the deal was a part of a long-term market strategy. <br/>