Air China announced on the 17th that it and its subsidiary Shenzhen Airlines will purchase 55 Airbus aircraft. Hainan Airlines also announced on the same day that it will purchase 40 Airbus aircraft, with a total list price of approximately US$17.8 billion. This purchase continues the trend of Chinese airlines expanding their purchases of Airbus aircraft following French President Macron’s visit to China at the end of last year.
Air China announced on the 17th that the company and its subsidiary Shenzhen Airlines signed an agreement with Airbus to purchase 55 aircraft at a list price of approximately RMB 84.51 billion, with the actual consideration to be lower than the list price. The aircraft will be delivered in batches between 2029 and 2032.
Among them, Air China purchased 15 Airbus A350-900 aircraft from Airbus, and its holding subsidiary Shenzhen Airlines purchased 40 A320NEO series aircraft from Airbus.
Air China stated that, based on the Group’s available ton-kilometers as of December 31, 2025, the aircraft purchases will increase the Group’s capacity by approximately 7.1%, while the aircraft purchases by Shenzhen Airlines will increase the Group’s capacity by approximately 4.3%, which will help optimize the fleet structure and replenish long-term capacity.
Hainan Airlines Holding also announced on the same day that, in order to optimize its fleet structure and improve its capacity, it will purchase 40 A320NEO series aircraft from Airbus, with a total transaction amount not exceeding US$5.36 billion, and plans to deliver them in batches from 2028 to 2032.
According to The Paper, Air China, Shenzhen Airlines, and Hainan Airlines plan to purchase a total of 95 aircraft from Airbus, with a total list price of approximately US$17.8 billion.
When Macron visited China in early December 2025, foreign media reported that Airbus executives, accompanying him on the visit, secured orders. Five Chinese airlines, including Spring Airlines, Juneyao Airlines, Air China, China Express Airlines, and China Aircraft Leasing, subsequently announced aircraft purchase agreements with Airbus. Following this, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines also announced their purchases.
