Boeing closing in on US$5bil orders from Asian airlines

SINGAPORE: Boeing Co is closing in on about US$5bil in orders from two Asian carriers for its longest-ever 737, people familiar with the matter said.

The US planemaker is discussing a deal with India’s SpiceJet Ltd for about 20 of the 737 Max 10 aircraft, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the discussions are private.

Indonesia’s Lion Mentari Airlines PT is studying an order for at least 20 planes and perhaps as many as 50 from a combination of commitments and conversions of existing orders for smaller 737 Max jets, the people said.

The deals may be announced as early as this week, when Boeing is likely to unveil plans for the Max 10 at the Paris Air Show.

The Chicago-based manufacturer is seeking a groundswell of orders to catch up to the fast-selling A321neo, Airbus SE’s largest narrow-body jet, which is capturing routes once dominated by Boeing’s out-of-production 757. — Bloomberg