China is planning to buy 218 aircraft in 2010 to meet its growing domestic demand, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).
CAAC director Li Jiaxiang was quoted by the Economic Times as saying the order would include jumbo jets and regional aircraft.
According to Jiaxiang, China requires a large number of planes to serve an anticipated 700 million passenger trips a year by 2020, a figure expected to double by 2030.
The orders, when finalised, will provide a boost to the aerospace sector with Airbus and Boeing competing for a share of the purchases.
This follows a year of worry for the world's largest aircraft manufacturers, as their Chinese competitors made huge inroads into their market share.
