Airbus nears compromise deal after Emirates jet order row

investing.com:

By Tim Hepher, Alexander Cornwell and Pesha Magid

DUBAI (Reuters) -Airbus and Emirates edged towards a consolation deal for fewer than 20 A350-900 jets on Thursday after a public row between the carrier and engine maker Rolls-Royce (OTC:RYCEY) over a larger model dampened the end of the Dubai Airshow.

Industry sources said the two sides were trying to secure a compromise involving a switch from the A350-1000, Airbus' largest twin-engined jet which has fallen under the spotlight over the amount of downtime needed in harsh Gulf conditions.

None of the three companies involved agreed to comment on ongoing talks. Two sources cautioned a final signature in time for the end of the Nov. 13-17 show could not be guaranteed.

A previous stand-off involving the same three companies over the A380 superjumbo at the largest Middle East aerospace event in 2017 needed weeks of further talks before an agreement.

But a high-profile announcement matching a major Emirates order from Boeing (NYSE:BA) at the start of the week was ruled out as top executives left their negotiating teams to iron out final details and attendance dwindled on the last trade day.

Emirates is by far the biggest user of the Airbus A380 after investing heavily in the world's largest airliner, and is now planning the fleet needed to keep its Dubai super-hub at the centre of the aviation map beyond the 2030s.

The carrier opened this week's air show with a $52 billion order for 90 more Boeing 777X airplanes, saying the U.S. planemaker appeared to be getting a grip on regulatory and other problems surrounding its arrival after five years of delays.

But Emirates Airline President Tim Clark refused to place a large order for Airbus' broadly similar A350-1000 and publicly