Monarch exec chairman Iain Rawlinson was speaking at an industry function on Thursday. According to ATW Online (behind a paywall, so I'll quote sparingly), he said:
“We are within weeks of finishing a fascinating three-horse race to re-equip our fleet. We are right at the end of the process now. We hope to make a final decision within the next two months. It is very finely balanced; all three are exciting products,” he said.
Airbus, Boeing and Bombardier are all in contention for the order, but Rawlinson added: “We do not mind being a pioneer of new aircraft either. The shareholders have done this before with the 757.”
Timelines for deliveries depend on aircraft availability. Rawlinson said the CSeries could enter the Monarch fleet in 2015, whereas Airbus and Boeing deliveries would only be possible from 2015 onward. “We don’t want to wait too long, but we also want to make the right decision,” he said.
I attended the function in question and can confirm that he was (as you might expect at this point in negotiations
) emphatic about the finely balanced nature of the race. My own recollection was that he referred to Airbus/Boeing availability as being from 2016 onward (because of their full order books).