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By Tim Hepher
PARIS (Reuters) – Air New Zealand Ltd has decided to buy widebody aircraft from Boeing Co, said it has knowledge of the project, ending an 18-month battle between the US aircraft manufacturer and its European rival Airbus SE.
The carrier has planned to replace eight Boeing 777-200ERs in a transaction worth more than $ 2 billion (list price), although carriers generally benefit from significant reductions. Air New Zealand already uses Boeing wide-body cases exclusively on long-haul flights and single-lane Airbus jets on shorter routes.
The final choices under consideration are the Boeing 787 and the Airbus A350, Jeff McDowall, Chief Financial Officer of Air New Zealand, said in a video interview with the New Zealand Herald on Saturday.
"These are two fantastic planes," McDowall said. "Both offer a fantastic customer experience compared to existing aircraft, but also lower cost and lower carbon emissions … We plan to make a decision next month."
Air New Zealand already operates 13,787-9 jets and has one more on order. The airline did not respond to Reuters' request for comment. It will hold an annual information session for investors on May 27.
Boeing and Airbus declined to comment. People with direct knowledge of the issue refused to be identified before a public announcement.
Last year, Christopher Luxon, director of Air New Zealand, told Reuters that the larger Boeing 777X was also under consideration and that the company was considering using new jet aircraft for longer routes. long, like from Auckland to New York and Brazil.
In a briefing with analysts, CFO McDowall said in March that the airline would need fewer replacement jets in 2023 than originally planned due to changes to its flight network.
Air New Zealand launched a two-year cost reduction program in March and deferred aircraft capital expenditures of approximately NZ $ 750 million ($ 490.1 million) as part of a review of its activity.
A month earlier, it had reduced domestic rates by 50%, resulting in a change in its fare structure in response to the slowdown in the travel market.
(Report by Tim Hepher in PARIS, additional report by Praveen Menon in WELLINGTON, edited by Stephen Coates and Christopher Cushing)
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