Mexican airline Mexicana is in preparations of placing an order for either Airbus A350s or Boeing 787s as means of replacing its current long-haul fleet. The carrier is also looking at options to replace its new Boeing 717 fleet once leases expire.

Manuel Borja, Group CEO, said that Mexicana probably needs six A350s or 787s, and is currently in talks with both manufacturers. These will eventually replace the four Boeing 767-200 and -300 and both Airbus A330-300s currently on lease for its long-haul route network.

Before making a decision the airline has to arrange temporary replacements for the 767 fleet, since their leases will expire at the end of next year. It is expected that Mexicana will opt for additional Airbus A330-200/-300 aircraft, Borja said.

At the same time the carrier is in the process of taking delivery of 25 717s, which it will use to replace Fokker 100s in its MexicanaClick subsidiary. The leases are through Boeing Capital Corp., and the aircraft were formerly operated by Midwest.. So far Mexicana has taken delivery of 11, with another arriving at yearend and the remaining 13 in 2010.

Although the 717s are a good solution for the upcoming seven-to-eight years, the airline will look at other long-term options for its 100-seat jet fleet, according to Borja. The airline has shown interest in Bombardier's CSeries, and is in discussions with the manufacturer. However, if domestic markets develop sufficiently, Mexicana may opt for a next-generation narrowbody aircraft from either Boeing or Airbus to replace their 717s.

Another aircraft entering the carrier's fleet is the Bombardier CRJ200, which are operated by the MexicanaLink subsidiary. By December it will have 15 with another five being delivered next year.