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Air France-KLM is nearing a deal for around 50 widebody jetliners, guided by a bet on the permanence of Russian airspace restrictions. A downselect or final decision for the long-range twin-aisle aircraft for the European airline group could come as early as the end of the month, say two people familiar with its consideration.
The group’s goal is to replace the combined 26 active 777-200ERs and 26 A330-200s and -300s flying with Air France and KLM. The largest aircraft in both fleets, the 777-300ER, is still comparatively youthful and not part of the scope of the replacement program.
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The campaign pits Boeing’s 787-10 and 777-9 against Airbus and the A350-900 and -1000. Each aircraft brings strong performance that under normal geopolitical circumstances would be able to comfortably traverse the overwhelming majority of the airline group’s network, but those familiar with its thinking say that blocked access to Russian airspace has put aircraft range as a core consideration.
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