PARIS/AMSTERDAM, July 12 (Reuters) – Air France-KLM (AIRF.PA) has launched a tender to “renew and extend” the medium-haul fleets of Dutch unit KLM and the French and Dutch arms of low-cost subsidiary Transavia, a spokesperson for the Franco-Dutch airlines group said on Monday.
The company confirmed the tender after Chief Executive Officer Ben Smith was quoted as saying Air France-KLM had approached Airbus (AIR.PA) and Boeing (BA.N) about 160 jets.
“We’ve done a little bit in this area, it’s been on the agenda since 2004, but it’s never been put in place as it is now. I am very pleased to be able to put together this order, the largest in the group’s history,” he told the daily Het Financieele Dagblad in an interview.
Reporting by Tim Hepher, Anthony Deutsch, editing by Louise Heavens
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.