Chinese carrier Air China said that it has announced that it has planned to buy aircrafts on a large scale. The plan by the carrier was announced on May 8, 2013 and the analysts have predicted that it is a clear signal of confidence in the civil aviation market of the country. The flag carrier of the country added that it plans to buy 100 airbus aircraft without giving any details on the models or the timetable of the purchases.
The airline added that the six A340 aircraft is the oldest in its Airbus fleet with an average 14.6 years and will be retired soon. Sources from the industry said that the new aircraft suggested that the new aircraft is unlikely to be added within two years. Li Lei, the civil aviation analyst with China Minzu Securities said, “The 100 aircraft are part of the company’s mid-term plans, and represent 20 percent of its current fleet.”
Air China at the end of last year had a fleet 461 aircrafts which included 209 Airbus airplanes Li also said that the large order had showed that the airline is positive for the continued growth of the civil aviation industry in China.
In the next 20 years China is expected to be the world’s largest aviation market.
