Air-France KLM Shops for Widebody Jets as Long-Haul Travel Grows
- CEO says closed Russian air space plays into fleet evaluation
- Company still looking at TAP as possible purchase target
An Air France-KLM Group Airbus A330 passenger aircraft btakes off from Charles de Gaulle airport in Roissy, France.
Photographer: Marlene Awaad/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Air France-KLM is looking to replace a set of aging widebody aircraft, seeking to pick up more fuel-efficient units from Airbus SE and Boeing Co. that can serve surging long-haul travel demand.
The airline group is shopping for replacements for Airbus A330 jets that average 20 years and a batch of two-decade old Boeing 777s, Chief Executive Officer Ben Smith said in an interview at the IATA annual general meeting in Istanbul. The carrier has already retired its fleet of Boeing 747s and A380s and has added more modern 787 Dreamliners and Airbus’s A350 aircraft.