By Tim Hepher and Joanna Plucinska PARIS (Reuters) -European planemaker Airbus is nearing a deal to sell A220 passenger jets to Polish carrier LOT after a hard-fought and politically charged contest with Brazilian planemaker Embraer,

Now, with the €4.5 billion ($4.9 billion) Phase 2 approaching in 2026 paving the way to develop several demonstrators including a flying demonstrator, a sensor testbed and a demonstrator powerplant, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury hinted that the transition from Phase 1B to Phase 2 is “not going to be easy.”

Airbus has released its newest Global Market Forecast indicating that between 2025 and 2044, around 43,420 new passenger and freighter aircraft will be needed.

European planemaker Airbus is nearing a deal to sell A220 passenger jets to Polish carrier LOT after a hard-fought contest with Brazilian planemaker Embraer , industry sources said on Friday.

The program is part of Airbus’ efforts to keep the A330neo fresh after it has started to gain some commercial momentum. Airbus is now sold out to 2028 with the aircraft, says Julien Puyou, who heads the manufacturer's widebody programs.

Airbus SE deliveries remain low, but the backlog supports sustained growth in deliveries for years to come. Click here to find out why EADSY stock is a Buy.

Airbus is "cautiously hopeful" that it can meet a 2025 target of 820 deliveries despite bottlenecks that have left nearly 40 completed airframes parked at its factories waiting for engines, the CEO of its core planemaking business said.

Low-cost carrier AirAsia is poised to order about 100 regional jets at the Paris Air Show next week, with the Malaysian airline still undecided between the Airbus SE A220 or Embraer SA’s E2, according to people familiar with the matter.

Airbus is looking to use the A321XLR's wing on earlier models of the A321neo, to improve performance and simplify its industrial system. The long-range A321XLR - which entered service last year - features a number of aerodynamic changes including a single-slotted inboard flap design.

Airbus on Friday named the head of its Canada operation, which oversees the A220 jet, to run its global supply chain.

Manufacturer has invested in new facility and more staff to improve aircraft-on-ground response