Hainan Airlines Group is expected to sign important aircraft deals on Tuesday that industry insiders say could lead to a significant order for Boeing and future orders for Airbus and business jet makers Dassault Falcon and Gulfstream.
Executives from the airline group and aeroplane manufacturers will ink letters of intent and memorandums of understanding for future aircraft orders, rather than sign firm orders themselves, insiders said. The agreements will be signed after the formal opening of the Asian Aerospace show in Hong Kong on Tuesday morning.
There were no details about how many aeroplanes were involved or the types of aircraft, although one aviation industry source speculated HNA could sign a pact agreeing to order the double-deck jumbo Airbus A380 sometime in the future.
Hainan Airlines has grown rapidly in the past 10 years and had 86 aircraft in service at the end of February and a further 58 on order, according to figures from the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation.
These include about 70 Boeing 737 narrow-body aircraft and more than 10 Airbus passenger aeroplanes, including five longer-range A330-200s and A340-600s.
The carrier started a thrice-weekly passenger service between Shenzhen and Sydney in January, the first time Shenzhen was linked with a direct flight to Australia. The aircraft were more than 80 per cent full during the first month of operation. Hainan Airlines is also planning to launch services between Beijing and Zurich.
The carrier, which owns the DeerJet business jet company, is also set to expand its executive jet operations through future orders with Dassault Falcon and Gulfstream.