On July 1st, on the occasion of the Party Dayand the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China, the three major airlines suddenly announced that they had signed a purchase agreement with Airbus. The three state-owned airlines will purchase a total of A320NEO series aircraft. 292 , with a total amount of US$37.2 billion (not the final transaction price).
Airbus immediately confirmed the news on its official website, saying that the order "demonstrates the positive recovery momentum and prosperity prospects of China's aviation market" and "customers' strong confidence and firm recognition of Airbus."
Christian Scherer, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International Business at Airbus , said: “We commend the entire Airbus China team, as well as our customer teams, for the excellent work they have done during the difficult COVID-19 period. "
This transaction is the largest order quantity and the highest order amount in the history of the three major airlines.
Regarding the transaction, Boeing responded: "As the largest U.S. exporter with a 50-year relationship with China's aviation industry, it is disappointing that geopolitical differences continue to constrain U.S. aircraft exports."
The statement also added that the The company will continue to urge the Chinese and American governments to engage in "productive dialogue" to help orders and deliveries recover quickly, as "Boeing's aircraft sales to China have historically supported tens of thousands of American jobs."
Bloomberg quoted analysts as saying that Chinese airlines have traditionally carefully balanced transactions among the "duopoly" of the international aviation industry to maintain maximum influence. And this order "is a signal sent by China, which has caused great harm to Boeing Company ."
Richard Aboulafia, an analyst at US aerospace analysis company AeroDynamic Advisory, believes that by prioritizing the delivery of orders to Chinese airlines, Airbus can further squeeze Boeing's (market position). He pointed out: "As you see in other parts of the world, the Chinese are preparing for a comeback, and it is obvious that the United States is at a disadvantage."
