Airbus is holding discussions with assorted Chinese airlines regarding the potential sale of more than 100 A330neo widebody aircraft, according to Bloomberg.
The claims that the possibility of a deal has been spurred on by President Xi Jinping¾«¶«Ó°Òµ recent visit to France and his conversations with the French President Emmanuel Macron.Â
Those familiar with the development have said that the terms of a potential deal are still being discussed, and that as yet there is no sign of when an announcement could be made.
The A330neo has been something of a disappointment to Airbus when compared to its predecessors, the A330-200 and A330-300. Â
Together, they accumulated 1,445 orders before being replaced by the improved, New Engine Option series.
With China once again halting imports from Boeing, Airbus may be seizing its opportunity to present more attractive terms to the Chinese airlines to purchase A330neos.
Major Chinese airlines to have been approached by Bloomberg regarding the sale include Air China, China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines.
This week, China Eastern Airlines took delivery of the first aircraft from its additional order of 100 jets of the Comac C919 type, a plane designed to rival similar offerings from Airbus and Boeing.
The Chinese plane-maker delivered the first C919 in December 2022 to China Eastern Airlines, before entering commercial service until May 2023.
After a successful outing at the Dubai Airshow in November 2023, Comac was touted as an aircraft manufacturer that could genuinely rival the Airbus and Boeing duopoly. Â
