Chinese airlines order 95 Airbus jets at $17.8 BN
July 20, 2026
Three Chinese airlines will buy a combined 95 Airbus aircraft for a total list price of about $17.8 billion, reports Reuters. This comes as Chinese carriers push to expand capacity and modernise their fleets with more fuel-efficient jets.
Air China and its unit Shenzhen Airlines will buy 55 Airbus aircraft for a total list price of $12.4 billion, while Hainan Airlines separately agreed to purchase 40 A320neo-family jets for a list price of up to $5.4 billion, according to filings with the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
The new jets are expected to boost the total capacity by about 7.1% for the Air China group and 4.3% for Shenzhen Airlines, based on the group’s combined passenger and cargo capacity as of December 31, 2025, though some of the aircraft will replace ageing jets being retired.