Talks began several months ago and surfaced as Wizz Air emerged as a suitor for rival easyJet (LON:EZJ) and as Europe’s largest budget carrier, Ryanair, remained deadlocked with Boeing (NYSE:BA) over a major jet purchase.
Analysts say all three major European budget airlines are forecast to expand as the COVID-19 crisis further erodes the finances of national legacy carriers.
Talks between Wizz Air and Airbus continued over the summer but the two sides are not yet ready to announce a deal, the sources said. Fleet purchase talks typically take months.
Any deal would involve at least 100 aircraft, one of the sources said.
Wizz Air, which has already ordered a total of 388 Airbus jets, declined to comment.
A spokesman for Airbus said it always talks to customers about their needs but never comments on such discussions.
Britain’s easyJet said earlier it had rejected a takeover approach, opting instead to raise $1.7 billion from shareholders and go it alone in an industry battling to recover from the pandemic.
EasyJet declined to name its suitor, but a source familiar with the matter told Reuters it was Wizz Air. Both airlines declined to comment.
Source: Economy - investing.com
