Report : Delta Air Lines Weighs Up To $12.7 Bln Order Of Single-Aisle Jets

(RTTNews) - Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL) is nearing an order for about 100 single-aisle planes, Bloomberg reported citing people familiar with the matter, in a much-anticipated deal valued at as much as $12.7 billion

The U.S. carrier is also seeking options to buy as many as 100 more planes as it chooses between Airbus SE's (EADSF.PK, EADSY.PK) A320 family of aircraft and Boeing Co.'s (BA) 737 jetliners, the report said. Talks are advanced and a decision, which will test Delta's strained relationship with Boeing, will probably be made before year-end.

Delta is seeking to replace 1990s-vintage McDonnell Douglas MD-90 jets -- nicknamed Mad Dogs by pilots-- as well as aging Boeing 757 and Airbus A320 aircraft.

As the decision nears, the carrier has been at loggerheads with Boeing over the planemaker's U.S. trade complaint against Bombardier Inc.'s C Series. Delta is the largest buyer of the Canadian plane, which President Donald Trump's administration recently hit with import duties of about 300 percent.