China to buy 300 Airbus aircraft, expand partnership in civil aviation
TravelBizNews —
Airbus and China Aviation Supplies Holding Company (CAS) signed a General Terms Agreement (GTA) covering the purchase by Chinese airlines of a total of 300 Airbus aircraft.
The GTA was signed in Paris, France by Guillaume Faury, President of Airbus Commercial Aircraft and future Airbus CEO, and Jia Baojun, Chairman of CAS, in the presence of visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron on March 25.
The GTA comprises of 290 A320 Family aircraft and 10 A350 XWB Family aircraft, reflecting the strong demand in all market segments including domestic, low cost, regional and international long haul from Chinese carriers, according to Airbus release.
According to Airbus’ latest China Market Forecast 2018 to 2037, China will need some 7,400 new passenger and freighters aircraft in the next 20 years. It represents more than 19 percent of the world total demand for over 37,400 new aircraft.
By the end of January 2019, the in-service Airbus fleet with Chinese operators totaled some1,730 aircraft, of which 1,455 are A320 Family, and 17 are A350 XWB Family planes.
With more than 14,600 A320 Family aircraft ordered and over 8,600 delivered, the A320 is the world’s most successful single-aisle aircraft Family. Of these, the A320neo Family is the world’s best-selling single aisle aircraft with over 6,500 orders from over 100 customers since its launch in 2010.
The A350 XWB is the world’s most modern and eco-efficient aircraft family shaping the future of air travel. It is the long-range leader in the large wide-body market (300 to 400+ seats). The A350 XWB offers by design unrivalled operational flexibility and efficiency for all market segments up to ultra-long haul (9,700 nm).
Source : Airbus March 26 , 2019
