Airbus is close to a deal worth billions of dollars to sell dozens of A320neo-family and smaller A220 aircraft to Air France as the French network carries out a keenly awaited renewal of its medium-haul fleet, industry sources said. The deal could include as many as 50-70 Canadian-designed A220 jets, formerly known as CSeries, to replace Air France's aging fleet of roughly 50 A318 and A319 aircraft, they said. Air France is also expected to pick the A320neo family to replace approximately 40 earlier versions of the Airbus A320 that are up to 18 years old. A spokeswoman for Franco-Dutch parent Air France-KLM said: "Air France is pursuing work on its medium-haul fleet renewal. No decision has been taken at this stage." Airbus declined to comment on the deal, which is expected to be formally discussed at an end-month Air France-KLM board meeting. The expected deal marks a rebound for Airbus after rival Boeing poached part of the fleet of British Airways owner IAG at last month's Paris Airshow. That deal caught Airbus off guard, though in the longer term sources say it may also have eased the European planemaker's anxieties over the grounding of Boeing's 737 MAX following the Ethiopian Airlines crash in March.<br/>