Airbus secures $18bn China order, accord on jet-completion site imminent

Airbus Group SE has closed a deal to supply at least 45 jets to China with the possibility of 30 more in the offing in a deal worth US$18 billion, Bloomberg reported, citing an announcement by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls also said an accord on a completion center for Airbus jets in China was coming within days. China has long been the largest market for the firm’s A330 model, and the country’s airlines had been expected to place fresh orders after Airbus said last year it would develop a new regional variant to better serve the Chinese market.