Europe-based global aerospace giant Airbus and the China Aviation Supplies Holding Company (CAS) signed, late last month, a general terms agreement (GTA) for the purchase, by Chinese airlines, of 300 Airbus airliners. These will comprise 290 A320-family single-aisle aircraft and ten A350XWB-family wide-body aircraft.

“We are honoured to support the growth of China’s civil aviation with our leading aircraft families – single aisle and widebodies,” affirmed Airbus Commercial Aircraft president and Airbus Group CEO-designate Guillaume Faury. “Our expanding footprint in China demonstrates our lasting confidence in the Chinese market and our long-term commitment to China and our partners.”

As of the end of January, Chinese operators had some 1 730 Airbus aircraft in service. Of these, 1 455 are from the A320-family and 17 are A350XWB-family aeroplanes. Airbus, in its latest China Market Forecast (2018 to 2037), predicted that China would need about 7 400 new passenger and freighter aircraft over the next two decades. This would amount to more than 19% of the world’s total demand for new aircraft (estimated at more than 37 400).

To date, more than 14 600 of the A320-family aircraft have been ordered, of which more than 8 600 have been delivered. The original A320-family comprises (from the smallest to the largest) the A318, the A319, the A320 and the A321 aeroplanes. The latest version of the design, the A320neo-family, has won more than 6 500 orders from in excess of 100 customers since it was launched in 2010 (‘neo’ stands for new engine option). The A320neo-family comprises the A319neo, the A320neo and the A321neo airliners. The A321neo, in turn, comes in two versions – standard and long-range, the latter designated the A321LR.

Airbus describes the A320neo-family as “the world’s best-selling single-aisle aircraft”. “It has pioneered and incorporated the latest technologies, including its new-generation engines and the industry’s reference cabin design, delivering 20% fuel cost savings alone. The A320neo also offers significant environmental benefits with nearly a 50% reduction in noise footprint, compared to previous-generation aircraft.”

With the announcement that production of the A380 Superjumbo is to come to an end in 2021, the A350XWB-family will become Airbus’s flagship product. The family comprises the A350-900 and the stretched A350-1000. A planned, smaller, A350-800 version was abandoned, being replaced by the neo version of the well-established A330 wide-body family.

“The A350XWB is the world’s most modern and ecoefficient aircraft family shaping the future of air travel,” asserts Airbus. “It is the long-range leader in the large wide-body market (300 to 400-plus seats). The A350XWB offers by design unrivalled operational flexibility and efficiency for all market segments up to ultralong haul (9 700 nautical miles). It features the latest aerodynamic design, carbon fibre fuselage and wings, plus new fuel- efficient Rolls-Royce engines. Together, these latest technologies translate into unrivalled levels of operational efficiency, with a 25% reduction in fuel burn and emissions.”

The GTA was signed in Paris by Faury and CAS chairperson Jia Baojun, in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese President Xi Jinping.