Aer Lingus has signed a letter of intent to buy two new Airbus A330 long haul aircraft.
Aer Lingus chierf executive, Dermot Mannion
Both aircraft will be delivered in mid 2007 and will be based at Dublin airport.
The planes will service new long haul destinations, in anticipation of the liberalisation of transatlantic routes.
"This is an important interim step for Aer Lingus and demonstrates our commitment to developing and enhancing our long haul network. Appropriate debt financing will be put in place well in advance of delivery," said the Aer Lingus chief executive, Dermot Mannion.
The purchase will bring Aer Lingus's long haul fleet of A330s to nine. The airline currently has twenty-seven short haul aircraft of which six are Airbus A321s and 21 are A320s.
Aer Lingus completed the transition to an all Airbus A320 family European fleet was completed in January of this year, bringing to three years the average age of the short haul aircraft.