CAS has signed with Airbus for a total of 102 aircraft

China Aviation Supplies Holding Company (CAS) has signed with Airbus for a total of 102 aircraft of which 66 are new orders. The new orders comprise 50 A320 Family aircraft, six A330s and ten A350 XWBs. The agreement was signed today by Li Hai, President of CAS and Tom Enders, President and CEO of Airbus at the Elysée Palace in Paris, in the presence of visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, UK Minister for Industry Mark Prisk and Louis Gallois, CEO of EADS. “We feel privileged that China continues to choose Airbus aircraft for the further development of its fleet. The order for Airbus’ eco-efficient aircraft underlines China’s ambition to grow sustainably," said Tom Enders. “We look forward to many more years of continued cooperation.” BACKGROUND NOTES: Airbus entered the Chinese market in 1985, when an A310 was first delivered to today’s China Eastern Airlines. By the end of October 2010, the Airbus in service fleet in China has risen to 637 aircraft representing 43 percent of the total. China has ordered by end of October in total 738 aircraft directly from Airbus. The A320 Family (A318, A319, A320 and A321) is recognized as the benchmark single-aisle aircraft family, offering the lowest-operating cost per seat. With over 6,700 aircraft sold, and more than 4,400 aircraft delivered to some 316 customers and operators worldwide, the A320 Family is the world’s best-selling single-aisle aircraft family. By the end of October, there were over 530 A320 Family aircraft in service in China and 219 on backlog.