UPDATE 1-Airbus, Ethiopian Airlines discussing new plane deal - French official

information fournie par Reuters •14/03/2019 à 09:08

 (Adds comments on China order, context)
    NAIROBI, March 14 (Reuters) - European planemaker Airbus
 AIR.PA  is discussing a new order with Ethiopian Airlines and
there are "positive signs" that a long-negotiated deal with
China may be concluded later this month, a French presidential
source said on Thursday.
    The Elysee official gave no details on the size of the
potential new Ethiopian order but cited the long-range A350, a
model which Ethiopian already operates, and the single-aisle
A320 jet as aircraft that were of interest to the airline.
    President Emmanuel Macron and Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy
Ahmed discussed the possible order during Macron's visit on
Tuesday, two days after an Ethiopian Boeing  BA.N  737 MAX 8
crashed minutes after taking off, killing all 157 people. 
    Data about the plane's flight path indicated some
similarities with a crash involving the same model in Indonesia
five months earlier. Aviation authorities around the world have
temporarily banned the money-spinning aircraft from flying,
leaving the world's largest planemaker facing its worst crisis
in years.  
    Separately, the Elysee official said there were hopes a huge
Airbus deal with China could be concluded when President Xi
Jinping visits Europe later this month.
    Macron failed to clinch the deal during a trip to China in
early 2018 and the French government and European planemaker
have been working to salvage it. Macron said at the time that
China would buy 184 A320 narrow-body jets, an order worth $18
billion at list prices.    
    "There are positive signs," the Elysee official said.

 (Reporting by John Irish; Writing by Richard Lough; Editing by
Mark Potter)