Philippine low-cost airline Cebu Pacific is expected to announce a deal for 70 Airbus A320neo family jets, according to Reuters sources.
If the deal is confirmed, it should double the size of the jet fleet, which currently has 69 aircraft, all from Airbus. Cebu also operates 18 ATR turboprops.
Cebu has been talking to Airbus and Boeing for some time, looking for a deal for 100 to 150 narrow-body aircraft. The announcement is expected in the coming days, according to people familiar with the matter.
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The choice for Airbus is not surprising as it has been operating its aircraft for a long time, including more modern models such as the A320neo, A321neo and A330neo.
Boeing, in turn, has had difficulty delivering hundreds of aircraft from previous orders amid the enormous public scrutiny it faces following safety and quality failures.
The question, however, is when Cebu would be able to receive the new planes as Airbus faces delays in production rate due to supply chain issues.
Furthermore, the European planemaker has a huge backlog of orders, which makes the queue long.
Neither Airbus nor Cebu declined to comment on the matter, according to Reuters.
