China Eastern Airlines is set to make a considerable investment in its widebody twinjet fleet, having filed an order with Airbus on the Shanghai stock exchange for 25 planes from the A330neo family. These aircraft are said to have a combined list price of some $9.35 billion. However, airlines often receive considerable discounts, especially when buying in bulk, so the true cost will likely be lower.
With the fleet growth and modernization that will result from the delivery of the 25 examples of the Airbus A330neo, which is said to be beginning in three years’ time, China Eastern Airlines hopes to be able to expand its international footprint. China, as a whole, is a market where Airbus has seen considerable success in recent growth: while it is a tough nut to crack, it can certainly be a lucrative one.
According to reporting on the matter by Reuters, Airbus and China Eastern Airlines signed the multi-billion-dollar purchase deal for 25 jets from the A330neo series earlier today in Shanghai. While the exact model has not been disclosed, the larger A330-900 seems the more likely candidate, given its much higher sales than the smaller A330-800. Deliveries of the A330neos are set to begin in 2029.
Thereafter, the new jets will arrive in batches, with the final delivery set to occur in 2033. Reuters notes that China Eastern Airlines has earmarked the type for intercontinental deployment from its hub at Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG), where the type will both unlock new routes and boost frequencies on existing corridors. The Shanghai Stock Exchange filing detailing the order explained that:
“The transaction will be used for the company to supplement its future transport capacity and to replace and upgrade its existing aircraft models.”
The Airbus A330neo Is Becoming Increasingly Popular Among Asian Airlines
As it happens, China Eastern Airlines is far from the only Asian carrier to have reached deep into its pockets and invested billions of dollars into the Airbus A330neo series. Indeed, ch-aviation lists several airlines from the continent among the type’s largest operators. Once, Garuda Indonesia had four units of the smaller A330-800 on order, but, as ch-aviation notes, it ultimately canceled this order in 2024.
The larger Airbus A330-900 model has seen a lot more commercial success than its smaller counterpart, with 183 examples having already been delivered and a backlog of 278 units still waiting in the wings. When it comes to this model, you don’t have to go very far down the list of its largest operators to find an Asian carrier. Indeed, Cebu Pacific Air ranks fifth, with 14 examples and two on order.
This puts it ahead of fellow Asian carrier Malaysia Airlines, which has taken delivery of ten examples of the Airbus A330-900 to date. However, it does also have 26 more on order, which will see it shoot up the rankings as deliveries continue. Other major Asian users of the Airbus A330-900 include Lion Air and Starlux Airlines (joint eighth place with eight units apiece). Garuda also flies five Airbus A330-900s.
With 20 new aircraft joining its fleet over the next few years, the airline has upgraded its product and is expanding its network.
China Eastern Airlines Is Already A Major Operator Of Airbus Widebodies
The Airbus A330neo should slot into China Eastern Airlines’ existing operations fairly easily, given that the Shanghai-based SkyTeam member already has some 76 widebody twinjets from the multinational European planemaker at its disposal. Indeed, current fleet data made available by ch-aviation shows that the carrier is presently flying 30 A330-200s, 26 A330-300s, and 20 examples of the A350-900.
Naturally, the latter is comfortably the youngest model, clocking in at an average age of just 5.5 years old on average compared to a fleet-wide mean of 8.6 years old. The A330s, meanwhile, exceed this figure: the A330-300s are 12 years old on average, while the A330-200s are even more senior, at a mean of 13.2 years old. As such, by the time the A330neos arrive, the A330s will be ripe for replacement.
Orijinal Haberi Görüntüle
