Recently, after discussions with two manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus, JAL preferred Boeing。Boeing is close to finalising an order for at least 20 of Japan Airlines' 737 Max aircraft, meaning the company beat major rival Airbus and its highly competitive A320neo family of aircraft.。

People familiar with the matter said the order could be a combination of the smaller Max 8 jets in Boeing's 737 series, as well as some of the larger Max 10 aircraft.。But negotiations are ongoing and a final decision remains to be made.。JAL could sign the agreement by the end of March and make an official announcement when it updates the market at the end of its financial year, people familiar with the matter said.。

According to aircraft evaluator Avitas Inc.The cost of a 737 Max 8 is about $51.3 million, and the company does not have the data because the 10 version is not yet in use.。

JAL is seeking to replace its older short-haul fleet, which includes 43 Boeing 737s, according to FlightRadar24.。The Tokyo-based airline's short-haul routes cover destinations in Japan and Asia。Its subsidiary, Japan Transocean Air Co..) also operates 737 series aircraft。

As travel surges after the outbreak, global airlines are overhauling their fleets and modernizing them with more fuel-efficient aircraft。The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) expects passenger demand on most routes to return to pre-epidemic levels in the current quarter and to end the year 3% above 2019 levels.。

Japan Airlines, a member of the Oneworld alliance, operated about 22,000 domestic passenger flights and nearly 3,000 international flights in January, according to figures released last month.。In 2022, its domestic passenger traffic rebounded to 24.6 million, while international passenger traffic increased to 3.4 million from 892,471 in 2021 and only 290,816 in 2020.。

Some people familiar with the matter said the Airbus A321neo had previously been considered the frontrunner for larger orders from Japan Airlines to replace Boeing's 737 MAX family of aircraft.。Airbus told customers they would face a longer wait for its latest jet - the long-range A321XLR - because of production confusion and regulatory inspections of the model's new fuel tank design.。Air Lease Corp.) Executives said in February that some of the planes in the A321 family would arrive nine months late.。Boeing also faces delays。

Notably, Boeing delivered a total of 35 Max aircraft worldwide in January, and a total of 38 commercial aircraft were delivered, almost double the monthly delivery of Airbus.。Its backlog totaled 4,585 orders, with the largest sales volume of 3,609。