bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Shandong Airlines, one of China's smaller carriers, said it has agreed to buy 50 passenger planes from US manufacturer Boeing for US$4.6 billion, in another sign of the country's growing demand for air travel.
The company signed a deal to purchase 16 Boeing 737-800s and 34 Boeing 737 MAX planes, a statement said, in a drive to grow its fleet for business expansion in the future.
China's commercial airline industry is dominated by the "Big Three" - flag carrier Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines - but a move towards greater competition has seen the growth of smaller players in the market.
The order represents a win for Boeing in the giant Chinese market and a vote of confidence in its newest family of single-aisle planes, the 737 MAX, which promises greater fuel efficiency.
The manufacturer will begin deliveries of the 737 MAX to global customers beginning in 2017, according to Boeing's website.
Boeing could not be reached to confirm the order, but it typically allows the customer to make the announcement.
Shandong Airlines aims to increase its fleet to more than 140 aircraft by the end of 2020, roughly doubling its total stock of planes, Xinhua quoted an airline official as saying.
It already operates 67 Boeing 737 planes, the news agency said.
The airline, based in the eastern province of Shandong, will receive the aircraft in batches between 2016 and 2020, the statement said.
Shandong Airlines, established in 1994, is controlled by the Shandong Aviation Group, which is backed by several government shareholders including Air China and Shandong Economic Development and Investment.
Fierce rivals Boeing and European consortium Airbus have locked horns in a battle for lucrative orders in China, which is seeing a rapidly expanding domestic airline sector.
While slow growth in Western economies is hitting the aviation industry, Asian countries are booming with an emerging middle class keen to take to the air. The Asia-Pacific region will require almost 13,000 new airplanes worth US$1.9 trillion over the next 20 years, Boeing said earlier this year.
Boeing said last year that it expected China's commercial aircraft fleet to triple in size over the next two decades as the country's economic growth boosts air traffic.


Shandong Airlines orders 50 Boeing aircraft for US$4.6 billion

Shandong Airlines, one of the mainland's smaller commercial carriers, hopes to boost its fleet to 140 aircraft by 2020. Photo: EPA

Business

China Business

The deal, worth US$4.6 billion, highlights the growing demand for air travel in the mainland


Shandong Airlines, one of China's smaller carriers, said it has agreed to buy 50 passenger planes from US manufacturer Boeing for US$4.6 billion, in another sign of the country's growing demand for air travel.


Shandong Airlines orders 50 Boeing aircraft for US$4.6 billion

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The deal, worth US$4.6 billion, highlights the growing demand for air travel in the mainland

The deal, worth US$4.6 billion, highlights the growing demand for air travel in the mainland