Planemakers vie for wide body controls during Asian showdown

(Reuters) – Airbus and Boeing are vying for orders for large aircraft worth more than $ 10 billion as the clock approaches Paris Airshow next week, news reports said. sources of the sector.

The fights include a battle for business at Cebu Air, the Philippine low-cost airline, while Airbus is looking for a new footing for its A330neo airliner that is selling less well against the Boeing 787 Dreamliner competition.

The budget carrier is looking to break its exclusive ties with Airbus by choosing the Boeing 787 for the need to deliver up to 16 large aircraft to deliver in 2020 and 2021, but negotiations are expected to continue, said the same source . .

Neither party has agreed to comment on confidential aircraft negotiations.

Airbus urgently seeks at least two new buyers for the upgraded A330neo model, while battling some technical problems and delaying the production of the aircraft from 250 to 300 seats.

Cebu Air features eight older versions of the A330 extended-body and a fleet of small A320 family aircraft.

Airbus is in the process of signing a contract to sell A330neo aircraft to Virgin Atlantic, Reuters said last week.

Asian carriers are considering renewing their long-haul fleets, as passenger demand remains robust, despite a decline in freight traffic in a context of global trade tensions.

Boeing looks set to win an order for its next Korean Air 777X jumbo jet, industry sources said.

The South Korean flag carrier refused to comment.

Korean Air general manager Walter Cho said last week that a decision on the future of the carrier's large carrier fleet would be made "imminently", but declined to comment further.

Airbus has meanwhile asked an Air Finance Executive of a General Electric (GE) unit to oversee the reorganization of its sales financing operations, which reflects a reshuffle of management, indicated sources close to the file.

Paul Meijers, until recently President of PK Air Finance, a debt financing unit of GE's aerospace leasing division, GECAS, will be responsible for the expansion of the operation, which will bring together the main areas of management of assets and the rental market.

Airbus declined to comment. Meijers, who previously worked for the European planner, could not be contacted for comment.