Chinese carrier Xiamen Airlines has placed a firm order with Airbus for forty A320neo family aircraft, becoming its newest customer, the European aerospace corporation said today. The airline currently has only Boeing-built aircraft in its fleet.
It is not yet clear whether the order covers one or both variants of the narrow-body aircraft family, the A320neo and the A321neo. The amount of the contract is also not yet known. According to estimates, the order would be in excess of four billion dollars.
Xiamen Airlines’ confirmation of the order comes almost three months after four Chinese airlines closed orders for a total of 292 A320neo family aircraft. It is a further blow to Boeing and its 737 MAX in a key global market, which has good growth prospects for the near future.
The Chinese domestic market is one of the largest in the world (representing about 20% of world traffic) and both Airbus and Boeing have been competing for years to dominate the short- and medium-haul segment with more than 150 seats.
However, the latest model of the American manufacturer’s popular narrow-body family has yet to receive the required recertification by Chinese regulatory authorities. Geopolitical tensions between the United States and China, and the situation in the Taiwan Strait, do not bode for a resolution in the near future.
In this context, moreover, the domestically manufactured COMAC C919 aircraft continues to advance on its certification path, which could become effective in the coming weeks. Although it would naturally represent competition to the A320ceo and 737 NG models, the delay in the recertification of the 737 MAX could lead Chinese operators to opt for the domestic model.
Xiamen Airlines, for its part, decided to continue its fleet renewal and expansion plan with forty new A320neo family aircraft. Deliveries are scheduled to be completed between 2024 and 2027.
