PARIS (Reuters) – Airbus has found homes for six A320neo-family aircraft rejected by one of its largest customers, Malaysia’s AirAsia, as it makes further progress in reducing an overhang of jets left by the coronavirus crisis, industry sources said.
The fate of the jets had been widely watched as they became an emblem of pandemic-induced problems in the aerospace industry coupled with a chill in ties between two of its major players.
In an unusually open rift as the crisis deepened, Airbus placed six jets it had built for AirAsia on sale by an industry tender after the carrier publicly halted taking new aircraft.
It has now found alternative homes, with the last to be handed to its new operator this month, a European industry source told Reuters, adding the A321neo model in particular had held its value during the crisis. Airbus provided no comment.
(Reporting by Tim Hepher, editing by Louise Heavens)
