Airbus sees rising A380 demand in China
BEIJING: Chinese airlines could need between 60 and 100 of Airbus SE’s A380 jets over the next five or so years as passenger traffic grows, the plane maker’s China head said yesterday, amid rising questions over future demand for the super jumbo.
Strong demand in China — if turned into orders — would be a major boost for the A380, the world’s biggest jetliner, which has faced sluggish demand as airlines have shifted focus towards a generation of nimbler, more fuel-efficient long-haul planes like the A350 and rival Boeing Co’s 787.
China is the world’s fastest growing aviation market and is a key battleground for Airbus as well as Boeing that recently predicted the country would spend over $1 trillion on planes over the next 20 years.
“When I look at the market flow, the passenger flow, route by route and the economics, I’m fully confident that the Chinese carriers will need a minimum of 60 A380s over the next five to seven years,” Airbus China head Eric Chen said at an event in Beijing.
Airbus has sold five A380s to China Southern Airlines but has otherwise failed to penetrate the market with the double-decker jet despite its robust demand forecasts.
The aircraft manufacturer believes the A380 will come into its own in markets that face booming tourism and congestion like China, but the aircraft has struggled to compete with smaller and more flexible twin-engined models.
In July, Airbus signed an agreement to sell 140 A320 and A350 planes to China in a deal worth almost $23 billion. China represents around 22% of Airbus global deliveries.
“What I can say is that if one airline takes the lead to order a large number of A380s, the others will follow. I would expect a domino effect and I’m working on it to produce that domino effect that has not happened yet,” Chen said.
He admitted though that it would not necessarily be an easy task to win over Chinese buyers.
“A lack of confidence to operate the A380, that is something to work on continuously with the airlines in China,” Chen said.
Europe’s largest aerospace company will today inaugurate a completion and delivery centre for its A330 jet in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin.
The facility is Airbus’ first for wide-body aircraft outside Europe and is expected to deliver its first A330 aircraft this year.
Separately yesterday, China’s Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd (COMAC) signed 130 new orders for its C919 passenger jet with four Chinese leasing firms, after the plane took its maiden flight in May this year.
The deals take total orders for the C919 single-aisle aircraft to 730 planes from 27 customers.
China Nuclear E&C Group placed an order for 40 jets, while Huabao Leasing and AVIC International Leasing each signed up for 30 of the aircraft, according to a statement from COMAC.
Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) Financial Leasing Co Ltd became the first customer to make a second order for the C919 jet, making 20 firm orders and an intention to buy 10 more.