Airbus Lands $2.9 Billion Order From Air China for A330 Jets
- Carrier to receive 12 A330-300s from this year through 2018
- Airbus to break ground this week on A330 finishing plant
Employees pass beneath a banner showing Airbus A330 passenger jets in flight in the Airbus Group NV factory in Toulouse, France, on Friday, July 18, 2014.
Photographer: Balint Porneczi/BloombergAirbus Group SE landed a $2.9 billion order for wide-body jets from Air China Ltd. ahead of Wednesday’s groundbreaking ceremony for a finishing facility near Beijing for the same plane model.
Air China, the country’s third-largest carrier by passenger volume, is buying 12 A330-300s, though it listed the planes’ January 2013 purchase prices in a statement Monday to the Shanghai exchange. The deal would be worth $3.1 billion at 2016 list prices, before the discounts customary in the industry. The planes are due for delivery through 2018 and would increase the airline’s capacity by 5.6 percent, the Beijing-based company said.