China Eastern Airlines signs with Airbus for 101 A320neo family aircraft
March 25, 2026
China Eastern Airlines has signed an agreement with Airbus for 101 A320neo family narrowbody aircraft in a deal reportedly worth $15.8 million dollars at list prices.
The deal, signed on 25 March, will see the new single-aisle jets join the fleet of one of China’s largest carriers, where Airbus aircraft form the backbone of its short and medium-haul fleets.
China Eastern signs for 101 Airbus A320neo family aircraft
As reported by Reuters, in a company filing made to the Shanghai Stock Exchange on 25 March, China Eastern advised that it had placed orders for 101 A320neo family aircraft to boost its short and medium-haul operations.
The deal is said to be worth $15.8 billion. Although it is likely that with such a large order, substantial discounts will have been offered to the carrier to secure the deal.
The filing added that the new aircraft additions are scheduled to be delivered to the company in batches from 2028 to 2032. China Eastern said the new jets will replace and update its existing fleet and expand future capacity, boosting aircraft efficiency, cutting fuel use and operating costs, according to the filing.
The order had previously been widely speculated upon at the time of French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to China. However, no formal announcement was made either during or after that visit. Previously, the company signed an agreement with Airbus in 2022 to buy 100 A320neo jets, which were planned to be delivered in batches from 2024 to 2027.
The new aircraft will join China Eastern’s extensive Airbus aircraft fleet
The new aircraft will be joining the carrier’s substantial fleet of single-aisle Airbus planes that are currently operated. According to Planespotters.com, these include 31 A319s, 257 A320s, and 101 A321s. The company also operates the A330 (56) and the ultra-long-haul A350-900 in its long-haul fleet.
Typically, the carrier’s A320s accommodate 158 passengers in a two-class configuration, while its A321s seat 182 passengers, also in a two-class layout.
The Airbus A320neo family continues to ride high in China
European planemaker Airbus has seen its success among Chinese airlines grow in recent months. In December, flag carrier Air China announced it had signed an agreement with Airbus for the supply of 60 A320neo aircraft worth $9.5 billion, bolstering its short-haul fleet. Like China Eastern, Air China is already an extensive Airbus operator, with 219 single-aisle and 73 twin-aisle aircraft already flying on its behalf.
Earlier in December, Chinese low-cost carrier Spring Airlines, one of China’s most prominent budget operators, said it planned to buy 30 A320neo-family aircraft. The airline stated that the total value of the transaction would not exceed $4.1 billion at catalogue prices, and that the aircraft would be delivered progressively between 2028 and 2032.
Around the same time, Juneyao Airlines, a full-service operator headquartered in Shanghai, outlined its own plans to purchase 25 A320-family aircraft. The airline said it estimated the value of the deal at approximately $4.1 billion based on list prices, with deliveries similarly scheduled for the 2028–2032 period.
The carrier operates a mix of Airbus narrowbodies and Boeing widebodies, including A320-family aircraft on domestic and regional services, alongside A321s and Boeing 787-9s.
China forms an important part of the Airbus family
Not only is China one of the fastest-growing aviation markets globally, but it also continues to bring in new orders for Airbus as the company looks to expand its footprint in the country. Since 2008, the company has built single-aisle aircraft at its final assembly plant in Tianjin. The Tianjin facility was Airbus’s first aircraft assembly facility outside Europe and marked a major step in its global expansion.
The plant is a joint venture between Airbus and Chinese partners, including the Aviation Industry Corporation of China. It primarily assembles aircraft from the A320 family, one of the world’s most widely used single-aisle jetliners.
Since delivering its first aircraft in 2009, the Tianjin facility has produced hundreds of planes for airlines in China as well as others around the world.
Over time, the site has been upgraded to assemble newer models such as the A321neo, reflecting Airbus’s commitment to innovation and efficiency. In recent years, Airbus has expanded operations in Tianjin by adding a second assembly line to increase production capacity and meet growing global demand for aircraft, particularly from Chinese-based carriers, plus others in the Asia-Pacific region.
Featured image: N509FZ / Wikimedia Commons
