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Air China, along with its subsidiary Shenzhen Airlines and Hainan Airlines Holding, recently announced orders for a total of 95 Airbus aircraft, valued at approximately $17.8 billion. Since the end of last year, Chinese airlines have placed orders for a total of 476 Airbus jets.
Air China plans to purchase 15 Airbus A350-900 wide-body aircraft, while Shenzhen Airlines will acquire 40 narrow-body A320neo family jets, according to the parent company’s announcement on July 17. Delivery of these planes will occur in phases from 2029 through 2032, with a total estimated cost of around $12.4 billion based on the manufacturer’s latest price list.
On the same day, Hainan Airlines disclosed intentions to buy 40 aircraft from the A320neo family, with a ceiling price of $5.4 billion. These jets are scheduled to be delivered between 2028 and 2032. Both airlines mentioned that, due to significant discounts offered by Airbus, the actual purchase costs are likely lower than the listed prices.
The Airbus A350-900 and A320neo family feature next-generation, fuel-efficient designs, offering considerably reduced fuel use, emissions, and operating expenses compared to earlier models.
This new order will support Hainan Airlines in expanding its fleet and refining its aircraft lineup. Conversely, Air China highlighted that some of the incoming aircraft will replace older jets, ensuring that overall capacity increases remain manageable.
Since late last year, several Chinese carriers, including Spring Airlines, Juneyao Airlines, China Express Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, and its subsidiary Xiamen Airlines, have all committed to Airbus orders. Notably, in December, Air China ordered 60 A320neo jets, scheduled for delivery from 2028 to 2032.
Insiders have indicated that, despite ongoing industry losses, carriers continue to sign large orders with Airbus because deliveries are slated to begin years from now. Postponing orders further could result in extended delivery timelines, they explained.
During China Southern Airlines’ 2025 annual results presentation in late March, executives acknowledged that delays in aircraft deliveries from manufacturers are likely to persist, with the situation only expected to improve when production of large domestically produced jets increases.
The development of domestically produced aircraft, such as the C919, is still in progress, with no large-scale deliveries yet. The manufacturer, Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, projected at the end of last year that it aims to produce around 200 C919 planes annually by 2029.
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