Airbus has scored an estimated $4.85-billion order for 40 A320neo aircraft from Xiamen Airlines in China – a carrier that up to now has been a steady customer of rival Boeing, and operates 150 Boeing 737 aircraft and 12 787 Dreamliners in its fleet.
The new order has been cast by some analysts as an official rebuke to Boeing, which recently decided to re-market several dozen 737 MAX aircraft that it is unable to deliver to the Chinese airlines that ordered them.
The new Airbus jets will be delivered between 2024 and 2027, according to the manufacturer.
Xiamen Air serves mostly domestic routes in China and has at its majority owner China Southern Airlines, one of the carriers that in July placed a large-scale order for nearly 300 Airbus A320neo jets.
The A320neo series is a direct competitor to Boeing’s 737 MAX aircraft in the midrange jet sector, offering fuel economy as well as reduced CO2 and noise emissions verses earlier-vintage narrow-body aircraft.
