Airbus vowed to contend for a mammoth narrow-body order that its chief rival Boeing announced in stunning fashion at the Paris Air Show.
Speaking at a final press conference from Le Bourget airfield outside of Paris on Thursday, Airbus sales chief Christian Scherer said the European planemaker never received a request for proposals — a document that formally launches most major aircraft contracts — from British Airways owner IAG SA.
The secret negotiations resulted in the surprise of the show: a letter of intent from IAG — currently an Airbus-only narrow-body customer — to purchase 200 of Boeing’s grounded 737 Max aircraft.
The shocker, announced midway through this week’s exhibition, helped Boeing turn around a gloomy mood in Paris and instill confidence in the 737 Max, which has been grounded since March after two fatal crashes.
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Airbus Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury said he would be very happy to fight for the deal before it develops into a final contract.
The Boeing agreement was outlined as a letter of intent, meaning that negotiations over the details will need to be firmed in coming months.
In many ways, the U.S. planemaker couldn’t have found a better buyer than IAG to endorse the Max, whose future has been clouded as regulators demand fixes to make the plane safer. IAG is a savvy aircraft buyer and is led by a former 737 pilot, CEO Willie Walsh.
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