Air France-KLM may split widebody order between Boeing and Airbus

Air France secretary general Bertrand Lebel stated the carrier may split an order for around 100 widebody aircraft between Boeing and Airbus (Bloomberg, 31-Mar-2011). A decision on the possible order of A350 and B787 equipment will likely come "before the end of the year, maybe during the summer", Mr Lebel said. The need for delivery slots from the manufacturers affects the timing, he said. Neither model has yet entered service.

Air France: "Everything is on the table. One of the complexities is the fact that none of them is flying at the moment. But we know that we need to move because there are slot issues after that in the manufacturing process. So it's a trade-off between being at the right time to have the slot when we need the aircraft and not making the choice too early to be sure that we are going to make the right choice," Bertrand Lebel, secretary general. Source: Bloomberg, 31-Mar-2011.