Airbus Near Deal to Sell 100 Jets for $4 Billion

Airbus Industrie is near a deal to sell 100 narrow-body jets worth more than $4 billion to a group of Latin American carriers, industry officials said. While the order has not been finalized, a Boeing Co. official virtually conceded defeat in what would be the largest single order ever placed in the region, which the Seattle-based manufacturer has long dominated. In Paris, a spokesman for Airbus confirmed it is in negotiations to sell A319, A320 and A321 single-aisle jets to Linea Aerea Nacional Chile (LanChile), Taca Group of El Salvador and Tam of Brazil. LanChile publicly said last month it was in talks to buy 20 new A320 aircraft to replace its aging fleet of short-haul Boeing 737-200 planes as part of joint negotiations with Tam and Taca for a purchase of more than 100 planes. The Airbus spokesman noted that no firm orders had been signed yet but said the deal is a sign of the European consortium’s increasing success against Boeing’s 737, the world’s most popular model.