CHICAGO (BLOOMBERG) - Airbus clean swept a multi-billion dollar aircraft deal with Qantas Airways in a blow to Boeing and its 737 Max narrow-body jet.
The Australian carrier said on Thursday (Dec 16) that it plans to buy Airbus's A320neo line of aircraft to replace the 75 ageing Boeing 737s that serve as Qantas's domestic workhorses.
It will also purchase Airbus A220 planes to replace 20 Boeing 717s that ply regional routes inside Australia.
The decision is a coup for Airbus as it races to match Boeing's Max order bonanza by year-end.
The European planemaker also landed a commitment from Singapore Airlines for its A350 freighter on Wednesday and has an opportunity to make headway with Air France-KLM, which is set to announce replacements for its ageing Boeing 737s.
Qantas committed to buy 40 planes with a list price of at least US$4.6 billion (S$6.3 billion) before discounts. The carrier also has purchase-right options on 94 additional aircraft spanning more than a decade.
In total, the order is set to be the largest in Australian aviation history, the airline said.
The fleet decision means Qantas and its low-cost Jetstar division are likely to be flying mostly Airbus planes on their domestic and international networks for decades to come.
Boeing's Dreamliner, still favoured by Qantas on some popular long-haul routes, is now set to be the US company's main model at the Australian airline.
Qantas shares climbed as much as 2.3 per cent in early trading, before reversing gains to be down 1.2 per cent at A$4.81 at 11:03 am in Sydney, giving the airline a market value of about A$9.1 billion (S$8.9 billion).
In a statement, Mr Christian Scherer, Airbus chief commercial officer and head of international, said competition for the deal with Qantas had "pushed the boundaries" of "operational and financial evaluation".
Shares of Chicago-based Boeing fell in New York trading before erasing declines in the wake of a Federal Reserve announcement that it expects to raise interest rates in 2022 at a faster pace than expected.
"Although we are disappointed, we respect Qantas' decision and look forward to continuing our long-standing partnership," Boeing said in a statement.
Qantas is the latest carrier to bet that travel will eventually rebound even with the threat of the new Omicron Covid-19 variant hanging over the world.
Virgin Australia, a domestic rival emerging from a restructuring, has already unveiled an order for 25 of Boeing's largest 737 Max model.
According to Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce, it is a great time to buy aircraft because manufacturers are eager to nail down sales and are offering advantageous pricing.
The new aircraft will also reduce fuel and maintenance costs, while cutting carbon emissions.
"This is a clear sign of our confidence in the future," Mr Joyce said in the statement.
"We've locked in pricing just ahead of what's likely to be a big uptick in demand for next-generation narrow-body aircraft."
The Australian flag carrier is eyeing even more planes as it pushes ahead with plans to start long-haul flights halfway around the globe.
Non-stop services connecting Sydney to New York and London, a project thrown into doubt by Covid-19, are due to start as soon as 2024.
Qantas has already picked Airbus's A350-1000 as its preferred aircraft for the flights and is due to decide on a firm jet order in early 2022.
Separately, Qantas forecast it will post a fiscal first-half loss of A$250 million to A$300 million.
With most of Australia's internal borders now open, domestic capacity is expected to exceed pre-Covid-19 levels in the first six months of next year.
