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International Airlines Group (IAG) has signed a letter of intent to purchase 200 Boeing 737 Max jets, a boost for Boeing and its beleaguered single-aisle aircraft, which has been grounded by international regulators since March.
IAG is the parent of British Airways, Iberia, Air Lingus, Veuling and Level.
The 200 aircraft have a list-price value of $24 billion. However, IAG’s commitment is not firm.
The airline group said it would split the order between the 737 Max 8, which is the variant that went down in recent Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes, and the larger 737 Max 10, which has yet to launch.
Boeing is currently working to get the 737 Max recertified through a fix of its automated flight-control software system. That system is believed to have played a role in both crashes, which killed a total of 346 people.
In a statement, IAG CEO Willie Walsh said the Max would make a great addition to IAG’s short-haul fleet.
“We have every confidence in Boeing and expect that the aircraft will make a successful return to service in the coming months, having received approval from the regulators,” Walsh said.
The order would be a major departure for IAG, which today has an almost exclusively Airbus narrowbody fleet.
The IAG announcement is a publicity coup for Boeing, which booked only 10 orders during the first day of the highly competitive Paris Air Show on Monday, according to Wolfe Research analyst Hunter Keay. By comparison, Airbus announced 112 orders and commitments on Monday.
Despite the grounding, Boeing has a backlog of approximately 4,400 orders for the 737 Max. That figure doesn’t include the potential IAG purchases, since a final agreement hasn’t been reached on the 200 aircraft.
Source: travelweekly.com