By Tim Hepher and Joanna Plucinska PARIS (Reuters) -European planemaker Airbus is nearing a deal to sell A220 passenger jets to Polish carrier LOT after a hard-fought and politically charged contest with Brazilian planemaker Embraer,

Now, with the €4.5 billion ($4.9 billion) Phase 2 approaching in 2026 paving the way to develop several demonstrators including a flying demonstrator, a sensor testbed and a demonstrator powerplant, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury hinted that the transition from Phase 1B to Phase 2 is “not going to be easy.”

The CEO of Commerical Aircraft at Airbus has laid the blame for a slow start to annual aircraft deliveries on issues surrounding engine supplies and lavatories.

Airbus is "cautiously hopeful" that it can meet a 2025 target of 820 deliveries despite bottlenecks that have left nearly 40 completed airframes parked at its factories waiting for engines, the CEO of its core planemaking business said.

Airbus SE deliveries remain low, but the backlog supports sustained growth in deliveries for years to come. Click here to find out why EADSY stock is a Buy.

The program is part of Airbus’ efforts to keep the A330neo fresh after it has started to gain some commercial momentum. Airbus is now sold out to 2028 with the aircraft, says Julien Puyou, who heads the manufacturer's widebody programs.

European planemaker Airbus is nearing a deal to sell A220 passenger jets to Polish carrier LOT after a hard-fought contest with Brazilian planemaker Embraer , industry sources said on Friday.

Airbus has released its newest Global Market Forecast indicating that between 2025 and 2044, around 43,420 new passenger and freighter aircraft will be needed.

Airbus SE predicted the global commercial aircraft fleet will double in size to almost 50,000 planes over the next 20 years, spurred by rapid growth in markets like India, where a rising middle class increasingly takes to air travel.

Airbus revised up its forecast for airplane demand over the next 20 years on Thursday, telling investors and suppliers the air transport industry was expected to ride out the current wave of trade tensions.

Benoit Schultz will become chief procurement officer from Oct 1, the planemaker said in a LinkedIn post. Reuters reported earlier this month that supply chief Juergen Westermeier had been appointed to run the group's operations in India.