China is reportedly in talks to make a significant purchase of Airbus aircraft, with the deal potentially lined up for an visit by European leaders to Beijing next month. Sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg the transaction could include between 200 and 500 jets, with the potential deal spanning both narrow- and wide-body categories. The order could be among the largest in global aviation history and China’s biggest to date.
Airbus predicts that China will be the world's largest aviation services market by 2043, ing for 20% of all aircraft deliveries.
China has its own aircraft manufacturer, Comac. It delivered 13 C919 jets last year, all to Chinese airlines, and has an order book of more than 1.000.
News of China's possible purchase of Airbus jets triggered a surge in the value of Airbus shares. The company's share price rose about 4% on Wednesday.
