NEW YORK (Reuters) – Delta Air Lines Chief Executive Officer Ed Bastian said on Wednesday it was still trying to reach an aircraft deal with Boeing Co.
Reuters reported in March that Boeing was edging toward a landmark order from Delta for up to 100 of its 737 MAX 10 jets..
Asked at an industry conference if he saw a place for the MAX in Delta’s fleet, Bastian said he agreed.
“I think there is. We’ve been trying to get a deal done with Boeing. We’re keeping our eye on that, and hopefully, we’ll be able to figure that out,” Bastian said on Wednesday.
A Boeing spokeswoman declined to comment.
At the event in New York to celebrate the opening of a new terminal at LaGuardia Airport, Bastian declined to offer details of the size of any potential 737 MAX order and emphasized no decision had been made.
“We continue to see if there’s opportunities with the MAX but no decisions, no hold ups,” Bastian told Reuters.
Delta is the only major U.S. carrier without a 737 MAX on order.
The MAX 10 competes with Airbus’ strongest-selling model, the A321neo. Both planes are aimed at the fast-growing segment of the market just above 200 seats.
In September, Airline Weekly quoted Bastian as saying there was a place for the MAX at Delta if the carrier could figure out how to bring them in.
(Reporting by David Shepardson and Aishwarya Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Bernard Orr)
