CHINA-FRANCE / (FORUM) – REUTERS Agency
By Tim Hepher and Sophie Yu
PARIS/BEIJING, April 7 (Reuters) – China and France will study the need for cargo planes and long-haul jets “in due course”, according to a joint statement issued on Friday, following a state visit by President Emmanuel Macron. .
The comments suggest a more dovish stance on the prospect of significant orders for large aircraft from Airbus compared to the aircraft maker’s A320neo model, for which production capacity in China is doubling.
“The two countries will study the freight and long-haul needs of Chinese airlines in due time, based on the recovery and development of China’s air transport market and fleet,” the statement said.
Airbus is marketing a cargo version of its A350 and wants to sell more wide-body airliners to China. In 2021, an A350 finishing center opened there.
Although domestic traffic has returned to pre-pandemic levels following prolonged COVID-19-related closures, international traffic is around 30% of 2019 levels.
Boeing was expected to win a large order for its 787 wide-body jet before cooling relations between China and the United States pushed the planemaker partly out of Beijing’s orbit.
With international demand still lagging behind the rebound in domestic flights, analysts say airlines have time to wait for eventual détente and ensure maximum competition before making major decisions about their long-haul fleet. (Additional reporting by Ethan Wang; Editing in Spanish by Javier Leira)
Source: Ambito
