PARIS, Reuters Air FranceKLM said on Monday it plans to order 50 Airbus A350 longhaul jets, together with purchase rights for an additional 40, in its largestever widebody purchase as the FrancoDutch group revamps its longhaul fleet.

The provisional deal includes both the A350900 and the larger A3501000 models, and the aircraft will be delivered between 2026 and 2030, the group said after its board backed the deal, estimated to be worth several billion dollars.

It follows a tight contest between Airbus and Boeing supported by engine makers, as the airline39;s fleet planners juggled range, size and cost to find replacements for Airbus A330 jets and most of the group39;s older Boeing 777s.

The Air Current, an industry publication, reported earlier this month that the airline was closing in on an order for 50 widebody jets and that one factor was the range involved in skirting Russian airspace amid ongoing Ukraine war sanctions.

We are taking the assumption that the ban on Russian overflights is with us for at least the midterm, CEO Ben Smith told reporters after announcing the order.

Smith said the A350 had won on either range or size compared with their 787 equivalents given the specific shape of the postUkraine network, while the larger Boeing 777X had yet to be certified and would not be available in the time required.

However, he said Air FranceKLM would look at the 400seat twinengined jumbo to replace its Boeing 777300ER longhaul jets which would continue to…