Airbus and China Aviations sign agreement for up to 75 A330 aircraft

China Aviation Supplies Holding Company (CAS) has signed with Airbus a General Terms Agreement (GTA) for 45 A330 Family aircraft and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for  options for 30 A330s. The agreements reflect the continuous popularity of the versatile A330 Family in the world’s fastest growing market.

The GTA and MoU were signed today in Paris by Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President and CEO and Li Hai, President and CEO of CAS in the presence of visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and French Prime Minister Manuel Valls.

“The package order is a new vote of confidence in our A330 Family aircraft, which is already the most popular wide-body aircraft in China,” said Fabrice Brégier. “China is today the most important market for aviation in the world, we can be confident that air transport in China will continue to undergo rapid growth. We are honoured to contribute to this development.”

According to Airbus’ market forecast, China will become the leading country for passenger air traffic, for both domestic and international markets, as passenger traffic in the country grows well above the world average. Domestic air traffic in China will become the world’s number one within 10 years. In the 20 year period between 2014 to 2033 Airbus forecasts a demand in China for more than 5,300 new commercial passenger aircraft sized over 100 seats plus freighters.

At present, the in-service Airbus fleet with Chinese operators comprises over 1,150 aircraft (over 980 A320 Family aircraft, over 150 A330 Family aircraft and five A380s).