Air China seals multibillion dollar Airbus deal as Chinese carriers expand fleets

Tuesday 30 December 2025 - 18:20

By: Dakir Madiha

Air China seals multibillion dollar Airbus deal as Chinese carriers expand fleets

Air China said it and a subsidiary have signed an agreement with Airbus to purchase 60 A320neo aircraft, a deal valued at about 9.5 billion dollars at catalogue prices. The aircraft are scheduled for delivery in batches between 2028 and 2032, according to a filing with the Shanghai Stock Exchange, marking another major order in a week of significant aircraft purchases by Chinese airlines.

The agreement follows similar announcements earlier in the week from Spring Airlines and Juneyao Airlines, which together revealed plans to buy 55 Airbus A320 family aircraft. Spring Airlines agreed to acquire 30 A320neo jets valued at 4.13 billion dollars at list prices, while Juneyao Airlines, based in Shanghai, plans to purchase 25 A320 family aircraft worth around 4.1 billion dollars. Both orders are expected to be delivered between 2028 and 2032 and remain subject to government approval.

In a separate transaction, China Aircraft Leasing Group Holdings Limited signed an order for 30 A320neo family aircraft, bringing its total number of Airbus aircraft on order to 282. The series of deals underscores renewed momentum in China’s civil aviation market, which returned to profitability in 2024 after four years of pandemic driven losses.

Airbus has been in talks since at least 2024 to secure a much larger order of around 500 aircraft from China, though such an agreement has yet to materialize. Earlier this month, the European manufacturer said it had received approval to deliver 120 aircraft that were previously ordered.

The company currently holds about 55 percent of the market share in mainland China, with more than 2,200 Airbus aircraft in service. Airbus estimates that China will require roughly 9,000 new aircraft over the next two decades, highlighting the strategic importance of the market for global aircraft manufacturers.