[Aviation News] On April 29, 2026, China Southern Airlines and its subsidiary Xiamen Airlines signed aircraft purchase agreements with Airbus for 102 and 35 A320neo family aircraft, respectively.
According to the announcement, the list price of the 102 A320neo aircraft is approximately USD 15.818 billion, while the 35 aircraft have a list price of approximately USD 5.560 billion, bringing the combined total to about USD 21.378 billion (approximately RMB 146.67 billion). These list prices include both airframes and engines, while the actual transaction prices are lower than the listed amounts.
The 102 aircraft will be delivered to China Southern Airlines in batches between 2028 and 2032, while the 35 aircraft will be delivered to Xiamen Airlines between 2029 and 2032.
In addition, China Southern Airlines reported its financial results for the first quarter of 2026, with operating revenue of RMB 47.782 billion, up 10.08% year-on-year, and net profit attributable to shareholders of RMB 1.481 billion, returning to profitability compared with a net loss in the same period last year. During the reporting period, the Company’s operations continued to improve, with a continued recovery in operating performance.
According to publicly available information, in recent months Spring Airlines and Juneyao Airlines disclosed orders for 30 and 25 A320neo family aircraft respectively. Additional orders included an order for 60 A320neo aircraft by Air China, 3 A320 family aircraft by China Express Airlines, and 101 A320neo family aircraft by China Eastern Airlines.
Including the latest order, Chinese carriers have placed orders for a total of 356 aircraft with Airbus within six months, all of which are narrowbody aircraft.
In recent years, Airbus has continued to secure major orders in China. By 2025, Airbus’ market share in China had surpassed Boeing’s share, reaching 55%, with China remaining one of Airbus’ largest single-country markets for several consecutive years.
China Southern Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, Airbus aircraft order, Chinese carriers narrowbody orders, 356 narrowbodies in six months, aviation PR,Airbus
