China Aviation Supplies Holding Company (CASHC) has signed a General Terms Agreement (GTA) with Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) for the purchase of 140 aircraft comprising 100 A320 Family aircraft and forty A350s.

The GTA was signed in Berlin by Tom Enders, Airbus CEO, and Sun Bo, Executive Vice President of CASHC, in the presence of visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

According to a statement, the A320 Family order consists of older CEO and newer NEO jets while the majority of the A350 orders are for the -900 model. The state-owned China Aviation Supplies Holding Company is responsible for aircraft procurement and will place the jets with their respective buyers pending the outcome of negotiations.

“This big order is a great endorsement for our leading products in both single aisle and wide body segments," Tom Enders said. “China is today one of the world’s most important markets for aviation, and we are honoured to support the development and rapid growth of China’s civil aviation with our competitive product portfolio.”

According to the ch-aviation aircraft database, there are currently 1,540 Airbus aircraft in service with twenty-nine Chinese carriers.