Air China Announces $6.3B Boeing Deal
BEIJING — Air China Limited says it plans to buy 45 Boeing Company planes in one of China’s biggest airliner purchases, but a Boeing spokeswoman in China says she can’t confirm the deal.
According to a posting on Air China’s Web site today, the carrier is ordering 15 Boeing 777s and 30 Boeing 737s carrying a total list price of $6.3 billion. The company adds that the actual price will be lower but didn’t give a figure.
Airlines typically negotiate discounts on major aircraft purchases. The purchase would boost Air China’s fleet capacity by about 35 percent.
A Boeing spokeswoman in Beijing, Dai Ni, says she can’t confirm that Air China and Boeing have agreed on a sale.
Air China is trying to establish itself as the dominant carrier in a struggle by Chinese airlines to modernize. Air China’s parent, China National Aviation Holding Company, tried to buy a stake in rival China Eastern Airlines Company this year but was rebuffed.
