China Eastern Airlines to buy 101 Airbus aircraft for around $15.8  billion

BEIJING, March 25 (Reuters) - China Eastern Airlines 600115.SS signed an agreement with Airbus AIR.PA on Wednesday to buy 101 A320neo aircraft in a deal worth about $15.8 billion at list prices, according to a company filing to the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

The aircraft are scheduled to be delivered to the company in batches from 2028 to 2032, the filing showed.

Several Chinese carriers including Air China 601111.SS, Spring Airlines 601021.SS and Juneyao Airlines 603885.SS revealed plans in December to buy A320neo jets as the major European aerospace company works to expand its share in the world's second-largest aviation market.

China Eastern Airlines said the new jets will replace and update its existing fleet and expand future capacity, boosting aircraft efficiency, cutting fuel use and operating costs, according to the filing.

The airline had in 2022 signed an agreement to buy 100 A320neo jets, which were planned to be delivered in batches from 2024 to 2027.

In 2024, China Eastern introduced 35 new aircraft to its fleet, including Chinese planemaker COMAC's C919 and those from the A320neo family and Boeing's B787 series, the company's annual report showed.

Airbus has been in on-off negotiations in recent years to try to grab a huge order of up to 500 jets in China - a type of package often tied to state visits - but no deal was announced when French President Emmanuel Macron visited China in December.