Airbus Deal Signals Chinese Reprieve
Airbus A330 production now stands at 10 per month. (Photo: Airbus)
Airbus A330 production now stands at 10 per month. (Photo: Airbus)

An $8 billion order commitment signed by China Aviation Supplies Holding Company (CAS) on Thursday marked a thawing of China’s freeze on a purchase of Airbus widebodies imposed in protest of the European Union’s emissions trading scheme (ETS). The deal, signed at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing by CAS president and CEO Li Hai and Airbus chief executive Fabrice Brégier in the presence of  visiting French President François Hollande and Chinese President Xi Jinping, involves 42 A320-family narrowbodies and 18 A330s.