EUROPEAN planemaker Airbus is nearing a deal to sell A220 passenger jets to Polish carrier LOT after a hard-fought and politically charged contest with Brazilian planemaker Embraer, industry sources said.
Barring a last-minute upset, a deal for around 40 of the Airbus regional jets could be finalised as early as tomorrow’s opening of the Paris Airshow, they added, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
Yesterday, the PAP news agency quoted Polish infrastructure minister Dariusz Klimczak as saying that he would visit the show.
“And we will announce on Monday afternoon, together with the president of LOT, the results of the tender procedure for the purchase of the fleet for LOT, long awaited,” he said.
Poland has been looking for a total of 80 or more regional jets, about half of which would be purchase options, to expand and build its Central Communication Port by the early 2030s while also growing its central Warsaw Chopin airport hub.
The purchase of the planes would help fuel that expansion, LOT Chief Executive Michal Fijol has told Polish media.
The competition has attracted strong political attention as Warsaw weighs its economic and political alliances amid concerns about security support from the U.S., a major defence supplier, according to multiple European aviation and defence sources.
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