Airbus SAS (EAD) won orders for 43 single-aisle planes from two Chinese startup carriers amid rising travel demand and the government’s deregulation of the country’s civil aviation sector.
Qingdao Airlines, a newly established private carrier, agreed to buy 23 A320s, including 18 A320neos, a re-engined version of the single-aisle jet, according to an e-mailed statement from Airbus today.
Zhejiang Loong Airlines, recently approved by the regulator, signed an initial agreement for 20 A320s, including nine neos, the Toulouse, France-based aircraft maker said in a separate statement
The deals will be a boost for Airbus as the planemaker expects to deliver more than 100 aircraft this year to customers in China, the world’s second-largest economy. Airbus yesterday also predicted airlines globally will buy planes valued at $4.4 trillion in the next two decades, driven by demand in India and China and global growth among low-fare carriers.
China may need 5,300 new planes in the 20 years through 2032, Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China said today. The Shanghai-based company is making China’s first large passenger plane in a bid to challenge Boeing Co. (BA) and Airbus.
Qingdao Air, 20 percent owned by a unit of Air China Ltd. (601111), won preliminary approval to set up an airline business in May, according to the aviation regulator’s website.
Bloomberg reports delivery of the Qingdao Air’s planes will start in 2016 and it will begin services next year with leased A320 aircraft, according to the statement. Zhejiang Loong, based in Hangzhou city of East China’s Zhejiang province, plans to start business this year.
Qingdao’s approval came after Li Jiaxiang, the head of Civil Aviation Administration of China, vowed in May to reduce regulatory procedures for companies.
Airbus today also introduced a lightweight version of twin-aisle plane A330-300 to help Chinese customers cope with airspace congestion and shortage of pilots.
The shorter-range model can be delivered by the end of 2015 or early 2016, Eric Chen, Airbus head in China, told reporters in Beijing.
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