ANA Holdings Inc., whose fleet is dominated by Boeing Co. aircraft, will soon decide on placing an order for 25 jets, pitting the newest wide-body models of Airbus SAS and Boeing against each other.
"It's getting close to the time we need to make a decision," President Shinichiro Ito said in an interview in Tokyo. He declined to elaborate on when the order will be made. "The key will be what plane matches our needs best."
ANA choosing Airbus would mark a triumph for the European manufacturer in a country where Boeing has enjoyed a near monopoly for decades. The ties between the U.S. maker and Japanese carriers were reinforced as ANA and Japan Airlines Co. became the first operators of the carbon-composite 787 Dreamliner, when commercial flights started two years back.