China Southern orders ten more A330-300s

Air China seeks to raise ¥15bn, acquire 22 aircraft

Air China (CA, Beijing Capital) plans to raise up to CNY15 billion yuan (USD2.22 billion) in a private offering to fund the acquisition of 22 Airbus and COMAC aircraft, it said in a series of disclosures to the Shanghai Stock Exchange on August 3.

It will issue 4,357,444,555 A-shares to 35 designated investors including state-run controlling shareholder China National Aviation Holding, which currently holds a 53.46% stake in the carrier and is expected to buy CNY5.5 billion (USD815 million) worth of the new shares.

Of the total to be raised, CNY10.8 billion (USD1.6 billion) will be used to buy nine A350s, four A320neo, and nine ARJ21 regional jets, while the remaining CNY4.2 billion (USD620 million) will be used to replenish its working capital.

It did not specify the exact models of the aircraft being targeted, but according to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module it already operates eighteen A350-900 with another twelve on order; forty-seven A320-200Ns with another ten to be delivered, and seven ARJ21-700s with another twenty-eight...

Qatar Airways CEO eager to exit A380 fleet

Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad Int'l) will continue to retire its A380-800s as soon as feasible, seeing no long-term future for the giant jet in its fleet, according to Group Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker.

Speaking to Simple Flying, he reiterated he still considered the A380 his "biggest mistake".

Al Baker's comments coincided with several airlines returning the A380 to service following a massive travel rebound this summer and slot capacity constraints at major airports. There is also a lack of wide-body capacity amid production issues with the new A350, an issue that has escalated into a USD1 billion legal battle between Qatar Airways and Airbus.

However, Al Baker said spare parts for A380s were challenging to get. "Out of the eight that we commissioned to fly, we only fly seven. We keep one spare because today, you have difficulty getting spares for them because of the supply chain. [Airbus] stopped producing them, so there is no more incentive to make spares."

"Due to the grounding of the A350s...

China Southern Leasing orders ten A320 P2Fs

Shortly after participating in a large order for A320neo Family passenger aircraft, China Southern Air Holding signed an additional Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Elbe Flugzeugwerke for the conversion of ten A320-200s into freighters, Cargo Facts has reported.

The Chinese holding did not reveal any further information concerning the identity of the aircraft or the timeline for their conversion. It did not respond to ch-aviation's request for comment.

The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows that China Southern Airlines operates 107 in-house A320-200s, which are being gradually replaced with A320neo Family aircraft. The carrier's cargo fleet comprises two inactive B747-400FSCDs, which are up for sale and thirteen B777-200Fs. Its nascent subsidiary, China Southern Air Cargo (CZ, Guangzhou), currently operates a single B777-200Fs but is due to take over all units of that type from its parent carrier. None of the other China Southern Air Holding carriers operates any freighters, and the group does not operate a single narrowbody freighter at this moment.

The Chinese carrier also has an...

Chinese carriers order 292 A320neo Family jets

China's four largest carriers by fleet size have placed orders with Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) for a total of 292 A320 Family aircraft, separate stock market filings dated July 1 have revealed.

Air China (CA, Beijing Capital) said it had agreed an order with the Europeans covering sixty-four A320neo Family jets while its Shenzhen Airlines (ZH, Shenzhen) subsidiary will acquire thirty-two. Deliveries to Air China will run from 2023 to 2027 while those for Shenzhen Airlines will arrive from 2024 to 2025. However, the introduction of new aircraft will be concentrated on beyond 2024.

Airbus gave both airlines a "relatively large" discount in the form of a credit memo that can be used to pay for Airbus aircraft, the final payment, or the purchase of Airbus products and services. Air China and Shenzhen Airlines will fund the acquisition via their own funds, commercial bank loans, and other financing methods respectively.

Air China and Shenzhen Airlines will use the incoming aircraft to both renew and grow their existing narrowbody fleets with the...