Air France and KLM to swap Boeing and Airbus orders in efficiency drive

PARIS (Reuters) - Air France-KLM <AIRF.PA> said its separate Air France and KLM airline units would be swapping over some remaining orders from Boeing <BA.N> and Airbus <AIR.PA>, in a move which Air France KLM said would help its fleet run more efficiently.

The swap means that in the 2021-2023 timeframe, the six remaining Boeing 787 ordered for Air France will be transferred to KLM, and the current 7 Airbus A350-900s on order for KLM will be transferred to Air France.

"This is the first step towards harmonizing and simplifying the Air France-KLM Group fleet at its two major airlines," said Air France KLM CEO Benjamin Smith.

(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; editing by Michel Rose)