China Eastern Airlines to buy 25 Airbus aircraft

China Eastern Airlines, one of China's largest air carriers, has signed a significant deal with the Airbus corporation to modernize its long-haul aircraft fleet. This was reported by Zamin.uz.

The company has decided to purchase 25 wide-body A330neo aircraft. These steps play an important role in increasing competitiveness in the regional aviation market.

According to information announced on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, the total list price of this agreement is approximately 9.5 billion dollars. However, the final amount is expected to be significantly lower due to traditional discounts provided for large orders.

The delivery of the new aircraft is planned for the period from 2029 to 2033. China Eastern Airlines plans to use the new A330neo aircraft to expand its international route network, open new routes, and increase the number of existing flights.

This provides a strategic advantage for the company, especially at a time when global tourism and business travel are recovering following pandemic restrictions. Currently, the airline's fleet includes 28 A330-200 and 24 A330-300 aircraft from the previous generation.

By the time the new aircraft begin delivery, the average age of these planes will exceed 15 years. Therefore, transitioning to the A330neo model allows not only for fleet modernization but also for reducing fuel consumption and lowering operating costs.

This order marks China Eastern Airlines' second major deal with Airbus this year. In March of this year, the carrier signed a contract to purchase 101 aircraft from the A320neo family.

The list price of that contract amounted to 15.8 billion dollars, with deliveries scheduled for 2028-2032. Thus, within a few months, the Chinese airline has ordered a total of 126 aircraft from Airbus.

The total list price of these contracts is approaching 25 billion dollars. This is being evaluated as one of the largest fleet modernization cycles in the history of Chinese civil aviation.

These large-scale investments indicate the rapid growth of the Chinese aviation market. China Eastern is relying on modern, environmentally friendly, and efficient technologies, planning to phase out at least 53 old A320 models from its fleet.

This will not only increase comfort for passengers but also strengthen the company's position in the competition within the global aviation industry.