Airbus woos American Airlines with new jet in Deja Vu for Boeing

With the aerospace industry’s biggest annual trade expo approaching, Boeing is hearing echoes of a sales debacle eight years ago that helped give rise to the 737 Max -- the airliner currently grounded after two deadly crashes. At the 2011 Paris Air Show, Airbus was successfully coaxing American Airlines to make its first jet purchase from the European planemaker in decades. Blindsided, Boeing shelved planning for a new narrow-body plane in favor of a quicker upgrade that became the Max. Fast forward to 2019, and Airbus is again in talks with American -- this time for a longer-range version of its largest-single-aisle jet, a plane that is likely to be unveiled at this year’s Paris exhibition. With the proposed A321XLR, Airbus is seeking to steal customers from a distracted Boeing after executives postponed a decision on an all-new model for middle-distance routes while they deal with the Max crisis. American is taking a hard look at the XLR, whose redesigned center fuel tank would give it the range to cruise easily between central Europe and the U.S. heartland, people familiar with the matter said. While American and Airbus don’t have plans to announce an agreement this month in Paris, aircraft deals can sometimes come together quickly, one of the people said. Airbus and American declined to comment.<br/>