United Continental Holdings Inc. is negotiating only with Boeing Co. for an order of about 200 narrow-body jets after dropping discussions with Airbus SAS (EAD), two people familiar with the matter said.
Talks had been under way for at least six months about a mix of current-generation Boeing 737s or Airbus A320s plus variants with new, more-efficient engines, said the people, who declined to be identified because details aren’t public.
Enlarge image United Said to Discuss Buying 200 Boeing Jets as Airbus Dropped
A United deal would cement ties to a longtime customer and build on Boeing’s victory over Airbus in winning a 100-plane purchase from Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL) in August. Airbus and Boeing, split a 460-jet order with AMR Corp. (AAMRQ)’s American Airlines in July. The list value for 200 737s would be about $16.9 billion, based on the $84.4 million retail price of the 737-800.
“If United goes with Boeing for this order we see this as a helpful market-share gain,” Robert Stallard, an RBC Capital Markets analyst in New York, says in a note to clients. He has an outperform rating on Boeing, which like United is based in Chicago.
Spokesmen for United, Boeing and Toulouse, France-based Airbus all declined to comment about the status of the latest negotiations.
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