Delta Air Lines to place order for Airbus jets

[December 14, 2017]  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines <DAL.N> said on Thursday it will place a firm order for 100 Airbus <AIR.PA> A321neo jets and an optional order for 100 of the aircraft. Delta, the No. 2 U.S. airline by passenger traffic, said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it expects deliveries to begin in the first quarter of 2020, with new aircraft arriving through 2023.

A Delta Airlines aeroplane is seen inside of a hangar in Mexico City, Mexico, May 3, 2017. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido/File Photo

CNN and Reuters reported yesterday that Airbus had beaten out rival Boeing Co <BA.N> for the order, boosting Airbus' leading share of the market for narrowbody models, while highlighting the increasingly fraught relationship between Delta and Chicago-based Boeing.

The two U.S. companies' relationship began to fray in October when Boeing successfully lobbied the U.S. Commerce Department to propose trade duties of nearly 300 percent on Delta's order of CSeries jets from Canada's Bombardier Inc.

The A321neo also has a significant lead in market share over equivalent Boeing narrowbody models but faces potential competition from a new mid-market jet being studied by Boeing and for which the U.S. company may start seeking offers next year..

(Reporting by Rachit Vats in Bangalore and Alana Wise in New York Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

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