Airbus near blockbuster $23b jet sale to AirAsia

Airbus is closing in on $29b worth of deals with Asian carriers that are expanding their fleet because of surging travel demand in the region, according to people familiar with the matter. The European manufacturer is working on a blockbuster agreement to sell $23b worth of aircraft to AirAsia Group, said the people, who asked not to be identified. Taiwanese startup StarLux Airlines confirmed a plan to buy wide-body A350 jetliners valued at about $6b. The deals are based on list prices and discounts are customary for bulk orders. The AirAsia orders are still subject to final negotiations, said the people. While no deal has been reached, the sides are close enough that at least part of the sale could be announced during the Farnborough Air Show outside London, the industry’s largest trade expo this year, the people said. The Malaysian airline, already the second-biggest customer for Airbus’s re-engined A320 narrowbody, is weighing an order for as many as 100 A321neo aircraft. AirAsia is simultaneously close to agreeing to order an additional 34 A330neo widebodies, which would bring its total backlog for that aircraft to 100. The purchase of the A321neos would catapult AirAsia ahead of India’s Interglobe Aviation as the biggest customer for Airbus’s marquee narrowbody jet, extending the Malaysian carrier’s existing orders to 504 planes.<br/>