Airbus deepens China push with orders for 68 aircraft
Deals for A320 planes with BOC Aviation and two start-ups coincide with Vietnamese sale
Three Chinese companies have ordered a total of 68 A320 aircraft from Airbus, the European plane maker said yesterday as it also announced a lighter version of a wide-bodied jet aimed at emerging markets.
In deals worth more than US$6.75 billion at list prices, aircraft-leasing firm BOC Aviation ordered 25 aircraft, Qingdao Airlines requested 23 planes and Zhejiang Loong Airlines sought 20.
The orders were announced at Aviation Expo China in Beijing. In Paris, Airbus said Vietnamese carrier VietJetAir signed a letter of intent to buy 62 A320s worth US$6.1 billion at list prices and take options on a further 30.
The orders marked a "vote of confidence in the long-term appeal of our popular A320 family", John Leahy, Airbus's chief operating officer for customers, said.
Separately, Airbus said the lighter version of its A330-300 wide-body jet was aimed at high-growth markets. "The new lower-weight A330-300 variant specially designed for regional and domestic use is Airbus' solution for markets with large populations and fast-growing, concentrated air traffic flows," Fabrice Bregier, Airbus president and chief executive, said.
"We see strong pent-up demand for efficient and reliable wide-body aircraft connecting mega-cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Guangzhou".
We see strong pent-up demand for efficient and reliable wide body aircraft