European aviation giant Airbus won another two major orders from Chinese clients for a total of 90 A320neo aircraft on Tuesday, just a day after receiving orders for 55 passenger jets of the same model from two other Chinese airlines.
The orders came weeks after Airbus’ CEO accompanied French President Emmanuel Macron on a state visit to China and mark a big win for the European manufacturer over its American competitor Boeing in one of the world’s biggest aviation markets.
Air China, Beijing’s state-owned flag carrier airline, announced in a statement that it would purchase 60 A320neo narrowbody passenger jets from Airbus for a list price of US$9.53 billion, with the models set to be delivered between 2028 and 2032.
Advertisement
Airbus granted Air China a “substantial discount” on the list price and also offered credit to be used to settle the final payment or to buy other Airbus products and services, according to the statement.
The order is still pending approval by a shareholders’ meeting and the Chinese government, the statement added.
Advertisement
An Airbus spokeswoman told the Post on Tuesday that the company was pleased with the decision and looked forward to finalising the order.