Malaysia Airlines' 787 deal with Boeing lapses, considering future widebody purchases

Malaysia Airlines said Wednesday a provisional deal to purchase eight Boeing 787 jets had lapsed and the airline was in talks with planemakers about the future of its widebody fleet. The national carrier last year signed a memorandum of understanding with Boeing to purchase the 787 jets valued at $2.25b at list prices during a visit to Washington by former PM Najib Razak. In April, the carrier had expressed interest in buying 20 to 30 widebody jets from either Boeing or its rival Airbus that could expand or replace the Boeing MoU. The lapse of the MoU was confirmed by a Malaysia Airlines spokesman on Wednesday. A Boeing spokesman declined to comment. Malaysia Airlines CEO Izham Ismail said that the airline had issued a request for information from aircraft makers for new generation widebody jets, without specifying how many it intended to buy. It was open to the advice of the manufacturers on the fleet size the airline would need for further network development, he said, adding any order decision would be made in the fourth quarter at the earliest. The airline currently has an all-Airbus widebody fleet including A330s, A350s and A380s.<br/>