Chinese airlines buy 300 planes from Airbus

Four Chinese airlines said Friday they will buy a total of 292 planes from Airbus in a $37 billion windfall for the aviation giant, as the industry rebuilds after the coronavirus pandemic.

The orders come after a bumper year for Airbus, which posted record profits in 2021 after a two-year pandemic slump, giving the company a further boost over US rival Boeing.

China Eastern said Friday it had agreed to purchase 100 A320neo jets and China Southern said on the same day that it would buy 96 of the same model.

Air China and its subsidiary Shenzhen Airlines also confirmed the purchase of a combined 96 A320neo planes, according to separate filings.

Airbus said the deals showed  "the positive recovery momentum and prosperous outlook for the Chinese aviation market".