Flydubai chairman says could still buy Airbus A320s to replace MAX jets

Flydubai can replace grounded Boeing 737 MAX planes with Airbus A320neo jets, its chairman said on Monday.

"I wish it was easy to flip one to another. We always have these options," Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum told reporters when asked if Flydubai could replace the Boeing planes with the Airbus jets.

The Dubai state-owned airline could be impacted in the second half of the financial year by the grounding of the MAX planes, he said. However, the relationship with Boeing is good and communication is ongoing, he added, speaking at the Dubai Airshow.