Aer Lingus said this morning it had started talks with airframe manufacturers Airbus and Boeing to purchase as many as 14 planes to replace and expand its fleet.
The 14 aircraft could potentially amount to an order worth up to $2.1 billion. The A330 of European plane maker Airbus has a list price of $150 million while the mid-sized B7E7 commands about $120 million.
Aer Lingus was looking to order at least 11 and as many as 14 planes, partly to replace its current fleet of seven A330s, Chief Executive Mr Willie Walsh said.
"It's a good time to be talking to the manufacturers given our financial position," Mr Walsh said on the sidelines of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) annual meeting.
Mr Walsh said the decision would be made within the next few months as the planes would not be needed until 2008 to 2009.
The fuel-efficient 7E7 passenger jet is Boeing's first new plane in a decade and is expected to enter service in 2008. Boeing said this month it was in talks with 20 airlines with potential orders for 7E7s in the coming years.
Designed to save cash-strapped airlines money on fuel and operating costs, Boeing hopes the 7E7 can help it recover ground lost to European rival Airbus which overtook it in commercial plane deliveries last year.
Aer Lingus, which currently operates around 30 aircraft, signed a deal with Airbus last year to buy or lease 17 new A320s, with options on a further 10. The carrier said it plans to open 13 new routes in 2004, bringing the total number of routes flown to around 60.