China signs for 102 Airbus aircraft
China Aviation Supplies Holding Company (CAS) has signed with Airbus for a total of 102 aircraft of which 66 are new orders. The new orders comprise 50 A320 Family aircraft, six A330s and ten A350 XWBs.
The agreement was signed today by Li Hai, President of CAS and Tom Enders, President and CEO of Airbus at the Elysée Palace in Paris, in the presence of visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, UK Minister for Industry Mark Prisk and Louis Gallois, CEO of EADS.
“We feel privileged that China continues to choose Airbus aircraft for the further development of its fleet. The order for Airbus’ eco-efficient aircraft underlines China’s ambition to grow sustainably," said Tom Enders. “We look forward to many more years of continued cooperation.”
Airbus entered the Chinese market in 1985, when an A310 was first delivered to today’s China Eastern Airlines. By the end of October 2010, the Airbus in service fleet in China has risen to 637 aircraft representing 43 percent of the total. China has ordered by end of October in total 738 aircraft directly from Airbus.
The A320 Family (A318, A319, A320 and A321) is recognized as the benchmark single-aisle aircraft family, offering the lowest-operating cost per seat. With over 6,700 aircraft sold, and more than 4,400 aircraft delivered to some 316 customers and operators worldwide, the A320 Family is the world’s best-selling single-aisle aircraft family. By the end of October, there were over 530 A320 Family aircraft in service in China and 219 on backlog.
The unbeatable economic efficiency of the A330 Family and its superior operational performance has positioned the twin engine jets as being one of the most widely used wide-body aircraft in service today. To date, Airbus has won more than 1,100 orders for the various versions of the aircraft and over 700 A330s are in service with 116 customers and operators worldwide. By the end of October, there are some 70 A330s in service in China and more than 40 on backlog.
The A350 XWB Family is an all-new product line seating between 270 and 350 passengers in typical three-class layouts. Scheduled for first entry-into-service in 2013, the family has won by end of October 573 firm orders from 35 customers worldwide.
Source: AIRBUS
