China Eastern Airlines orders 20 Airbus A350 XWB, 15 Boeing 787-9

Toulouse, France and Shanghai – In late April, China Eastern Airlines signed a purchase agreement with Airbus for 20 A350-900 aircraft and finalized an order for 15 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. At current list prices, the Airbus order is valued at nearly $6.2 billion; the Boeing order at nearly $4 billion.

 

Headquartered in Shanghai, China Eastern Airlines is one of the three major airlines in mainland China. Flying a fleet of more than 560 long-haul and short-haul airplanes with an average age of less than seven years, China Eastern serves nearly 100 million travelers annually and ranks as the seventh largest carrier in the world in terms of passenger transportation volume.

 

“The introduction of A350 XWB will play a very important role in promoting our operational capability, profitability, and service brand on our international long haul routes and opening a new chapter in the international development of China Eastern Airlines,” Liu Shaoyong, chairman of China Eastern Airlines, said in an Airbus press release.

 

Commenting for a Boeing announcement on the Dreamliner order, Shaoyong said, “The addition of these next-generation, fuel-efficient airplanes will play a key role in supporting China Eastern’s strategy for international expansion, and enable us to realize profits in point-to-point routes across the Pacific Ocean, and between China and Europe.”

 

China Eastern Airlines has nearly 300 Airbus aircraft in service, comprised of A320 family and A330 family. The airline also operates a fleet of Boeing 777-300ER wide-body aircraft and plans to operate the new 787-9s on routes between China, North America, and Europe.

 

With this latest order, Airbus has recorded 803 firm orders for the A350 XWB from 43 customers worldwide. So far, 20 A350 XWBs have been delivered to five customers worldwide.

 

More than 60 customers from six continents have placed orders for more than 1,100 Boeing 787s. With this order, the 787 Dreamliner will have nearly 100 orders and commitments from Chinese customers.