Greece's fast-growing Aegean air prepares US$5.5b jet deal

Aegean Airlines, the former island-hopper that’s expanded to replace defunct Olympic Air, plans to order at least 50 new single-aisle jetliners in the next 3 or 4 weeks. Aegean, which has already doubled its fleet since 2013, will choose between the latest Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 Max narrow-body models, CE Dimitrios Gerogiannis said Wednesday. The aircraft, to be delivered between 2020 and 2024, will replace an aging all-Airbus jet fleet, as well as add capacity for expansion, according to Gerogiannis. Aegean said it’ll probably need 75 planes by 2023, a figure that includes turboprop models to link Athens with domestic locations. While the carrier currently owns only 4 of its Airbus planes, leasing the rest, that proportion may increase with the new fleet, Gerogiannis said. <br/>