Multibillion-dollar deal marks first Chinese widebody win for the planemaker since 2025, following high-level visits from Paris and Berlin
1-MIN READ1-MIN ListenXiaofei Xuin ParisPublished: 7:56pm, 26 Jun 2026China Eastern Airlines has ordered 25 A330neo widebody jets from Airbus, marking the planemaker’s first major long-haul order from a Chinese carrier since last year, as the nation continues to favour the European manufacturer.
The list price of the 25 aircraft is about US$9.35 billion, but China Eastern said in a statement on Friday that it had obtained a “substantial price discount” from Airbus, making the actual cost significantly less than the catalogue price.
The Shanghai-based carrier expects the fuel-efficient jets to reduce fuel costs and support carbon-neutrality goals while expanding its international network.
Sizeable discounts are common on big orders in the industry.
China Eastern said the agreement was pending approval from Chinese authorities, with deliveries to the carrier scheduled for between 2029 and 2033.
While major Chinese airlines have placed orders for hundreds of Airbus aircraft since last year, those deals were all for the manufacturer’s narrowbody jets.
