China Eastern Airlines to Buy Airbus Jets Worth $15.8 Billion — Update

By Kimberley Kao

China Eastern Airlines agreed to buy 101 Airbus A320neo jets in a deal worth about $15.8 billion.

The Chinese airline said in a stock exchange filling on Wednesday that the purchase has a total list price of about 108.89 billion yuan, equivalent to $15.80 billion. The jets are scheduled to be delivered in batches from 2028 to 2032, China Eastern said.

The airline said the purchase is part of the company's strategy to plan and reserve fleets in advance, and is pending the Chinese government's approval.

Airbus has granted price concessions on the purchase, China Eastern said, adding that the actual purchase price will be lower than the list price.

The transaction will be paid in installments and isn't expected to significantly affect the company's cash flow and operations, it said.

The aircraft deal is the latest win for Airbus out of China.

In December, Air China, Spring Airlines, Juneyao Air, China Express Airlines and China Aircraft Leasing Group announced Airbus deals totaling 148 jets in a flurry of year-end orders.

Flag carrier Air China led the orders, with a purchase agreement for 60 Airbus A320neo jets worth about $9.5 billion.

China is the largest single country market for Airbus in the world in terms of fleet, according to the manufacturer. Airbus has projected strong demand for aircraft in China, and expects the market to take delivery of about 9,570 new jets in total over the next two decades. Airbus has said previously that it is taking China's homegrown plane maker Comac "very seriously" as a competitor.

The European plane maker has been facing supply-chain issues, partly due to shortages of Pratt & Whitney engines, which has forced it to slow production of its bestselling A320 jets this year.

Write to Kimberley Kao at kimberley.kao@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 25, 2026 07:06 ET (11:06 GMT)