Aer Lingus goes shopping
From RTE's Aertel:
Aer Lingus has started talks with plane makers Airbus and Boeing to buy as many as 14 planes to replace and expand its fleet.
Chief executive Willie Walsh told the Reuters news agency that the airline was looking to order at least 11 and as many as 14 planes, partly to replace its current fleet of seven Airbus A330s.
Walsh was speaking on the sidelines of the International Air Transport Association's annual meeting in Singapore. He said it was a good time to be talking to manufacturers, given Aer Lingus's financial position.
Aer Lingus currently operates around 30 aircraft, and last year signed a deal with Airbus to buy or lease 17 new planes.
The new order could be worth up to $2.1 billion. Walsh said a decision would be made in the next few months, as the planes would not be needed until at least 2008.
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Interesting to note the date: 2008. So, what are they going to do between now and then? With the strong likelihood of some deal (even if not the final one) between the EU and US to increase access, EI will need to expand its fleet before then. They will also need to spruce up their long haul act a bit, particularly if they intend to start an Asian route. Can this wait till '08?