China’s airlines to divide up mega Airbus order, Bloomberg exclusively reports

August 22nd 2025

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Major Mainland airlines have commenced carving out an order for an estimated 500 Airbus jets planned to be arriving in their fleets in the coming decade, Bloomberg Markets said. Read More » The mammoth deal was expected to be announced last month at the China–European Union 50th anniversary meeting in Beijing. But trade grievances and the Russia-Ukraine war cast a shadow over the talks and the transaction was not announced. Sources told Bloomberg China’s Big Three carriers: Air China, China Eastern Airlines (CEA), and China Southern Airlines (CSA), each plan to claim about 100 aircraft from the order. Smaller Xiamen Airlines and Sichuan Airlines Group are targeting agreements closer to 35 jets each. On August 21, Bloomberg reported Boeing is closer to finalizing a deal with China to sell as many as 500 aircraft and that Chinese officials have started consultations with Mainland domestic carriers about the number of Boeing jets they will need to build their fleets. Chinese airlines are keen to secure access to aircraft deliveries because of the supply backlog at Airbus and Boeing, sources told Bloomberg.