Airbus

Chinese flag carrier Air China has placed a $2.9bn order with Airbus Group for the delivery of 12 wide-body A330-300s.

Air China listed the planes’ January 2013 purchase prices in a statement to the Shanghai exchange, but according to the current list price, the value of the deal is expected to be $3.1bn, reports Bloomberg.

The newly ordered aircraft are expected to be delivered through 2018 and will raise the carrier’s capacity by 5.6%.

Airbus is currently preparing to begin construction of a completion centre for its double-aisle A330s in Tianjin, China. Around ten years ago, the company opened an assembly facility for single-aisle jets in the same location.

"The newly ordered aircraft are expected to be delivered through 2018 and will raise the carrier’s capacity by 5.6%."

The establishment of the new centre was announced last year in conjunction with a set of orders for the existing A330 model.

According to AFP, Chinese officials confirmed an order last October for 30 Airbus A330 passenger jets, which is in confirmation with an outline agreement signed in June.

The initial outline agreement includes the sale of 75 Airbus A330s to China Aviation Supplies (CAS), for a catalogue value of $18bn.

Last year, Chinese airlines and leasing companies declared orders for around 780 aircraft worth nearly $102bn, in the wake of the country’s economic boom, which has resulted in air travel becoming affordable to more number of people.

According to an estimate of Boeing, Air China, Spring Airlines and other Chinese airlines will need around 6,330 new aircraft worth $950bn in the next 20 years, around 17% of the total global demand.

Image: The newly ordered Airbus A330 aircraft are expected to be delivered through 2018. Photo: courtesy of Airbus.