Delayed delivery of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner passenger jet will not have a significant impact on Air China’s operations, a senior executive at the Beijing-based carrier commented. “This is not the first time that Boeing has postponed the delivery date. We should have received the first batch of 787 aircraft as early as June 2008,” the executive [...]
China Eastern Airlines posted a 79% jump in first-half profits due to a stronger renminbi, the acquisition of Shanghai Airlines and traffic from the Shanghai World Expo. Net income at the country’s second-largest airline rose to $259 million, up from $144.9 million a year earlier. Sales increased 94% to $4.87 billion. A stronger Chinese currency [...]
Air China has ordered 20 737-800 airplanes from Chicago-based Boeing. The nearly $1.4 billion order would expand Air China’s existing fleet by about 5% from December 2009. The twin-engined, narrow-body jets will be delivered between 2013 and 2015, Air China said, and would be purchased with “cash in installments,” funded through cash generated by Air [...]
Air China stated Tuesday that it would “absolutely” support a domestic challenger to Boeing and Airbus, even as the company plans to reduce variety in its fleet and phase out certain models. The state-controlled Air China is the largest Chinese international carrier by market value and operates 200 Boeing and Airbus planes as part of [...]
China’s first engineering center for airworthiness has been inaugurated in Shanghai. The establishment of the center, which falls under jurisdiction of the Shanghai-based Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), is an important step forward in catching up with the two other major players, Boeing and Airbus. Zhao Yuerang, chief of the airworthiness administrative department of [...]
Air China’s chairman said he was uncertain about the carrier’s ability to post a profit in 2009, citing poor passenger volumes and weak imports and exports “It is difficult to be optimistic about this year,” said Kong Dong, although he noted that Air China remains the strongest financially of the country’s major airlines. While Kong [...]
China Eastern Airlines hopes to offset the impact of heavy losses for 2008 by selling off its stakes in certain units and cutting orders for new planes. Liu Shaoyong, the company chairman, admitted that the chances of turning a profit this year are still slim. The airline’s target is to “substantially stem losses” in 2009 [...]
China’s aviation regulator is urging airlines to cap their fleet sizes as travel demand weakens amid the global economic slowdown. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has advised domestic carriers to cancel or postpone aircraft scheduled for delivery in 2009 and allow aircraft leasing agreements with foreign companies to run out. It also suggests [...]
General Electric (GE) will buy five Chinese regional jets, with an option to purchase 20 more, in a deal that could be worth up to US$750 million. This marks the first overseas order for China’s major aircraft manufacturer, Commercial Aircraft Corp of China, and a milestone in the country’s long-term ambitions to become a rival [...]
US airframe maker Boeing said it expects China to need 3,710 new commercial aircraft, worth about US$390 billion, over the next 20 years. China is the fastest-growing aviation center in the world and accounts for 41% of all airplane demand in the Asia-Pacific region, a Boeing spokesman said Wednesday. The single-aisle market would account for [...]
