Emirates is the only airline with enough capacity to take enough planes to keep the program alive, Airbus sales chief John Leahy said Monday in an online presentation. Discussions are ongoing, he said.

"I believe we can find a solution with Emirates in hopefully the not too distant future," Leahy said in an interview with Bloomberg TV. "But we do need a strong base that only a big operator like Emirates can provide."

Meanwhile, Airbus widened its sales-order lead over Boeing Co. in 2017 following a record year of jet sales, and it eyed overtaking the North American giant by deliveries as well.

Airbus booked contracts for 1,109 airliners, or 52 percent more than in 2016, the Toulouse, France-based company said in a statement Monday, extending the margin over Boeing to 197 aircraft as its rival secured 912 net orders.

Read Full Article