British Airways tipped for A350 order
02 April 2013 at 08.05 GMT
The new Airbus A350 long-range aircraft could be ordered for British Airways as soon as this week, according to reports.
The exact number of aircraft to be ordered by BA parent company International Airlines Group and the potential value of the contract are reported to be still under discussion.
Talks are mainly centred on the A350-1000, the largest aircraft in the A350 range, the Wall Street Journal reported. The order could also include the smaller A350-900.
If a deal is agreed, it would be a win for Airbus over rival Boeing, which is trying to sell British Airways the next version of its popular 777 wide-body jet.
However, BA, which already has a large fleet of Boeing 777s, could still order the revamped 777X, according to the newspaper. It is one of a number of airlines waiting for news about its delivery of Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
BA mainly operates Boeing aircraft on long-haul routes, with its current Airbus aircraft, mainly from the A320 family, used on short-haul services.
The airline has 12 Airbus A380 superjumbos on order.
