Grupo Marsans Finalizes Order for 12 Airbus A330s

Spanish tourism and transport company Grupo Marsans has finalized an order for 12 Airbus A330 airliners, with an option to lease 10 more, the European aircraft maker said Monday.

The order, which closes a deal first announced during Britain's Farnborough Airshow last July, is worth up to $2 billion (1.6 billion euros) at catalog prices, excluding the additional planes that may be ordered through leasing company Astra Worldwide. Actual financial terms were not disclosed.

Airbus said the new aircraft will be used to modernize the aging fleet of Boeing 747-200s operated by Air Comet and Aerolineas Argentinas -- both controlled by Marsans -- and expand their long-haul network, particularly on Latin American routes.

In addition to its main order, Grupo Marsans has signed an agreement to lease a further two of its larger A340-300s, which will be delivered later this year, Airbus said.