US$3.2b Airbus deal is for 30 aircraft, five of which will be super jumbos
China Southern Airlines has confirmed long-running speculation that it will be the first mainland carrier to operate Airbus Industrie's new 'super jumbo', the A380.
The Guangzhou-based airline said in a statement yesterday that it had ordered five of the 555-seat aircraft, the world's biggest commercial plane, to be delivered between 2007 and 2010.
China Southern said that under the deal, it would pay less than the list price of US$272.6 million for each aircraft, although it did not disclose the final purchase price.
The purchase agreement for the super jumbos was made as part of a order worth about US$3.2 billion for 30 Airbus aircraft on Thursday, including fifteen A320s for Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines.
China Eastern's share of the order was for 11 A321 and four A320 narrow-body jetliners, each of which seats between 150 and 180 passengers.
