US aircraft maker Boeing has formally gained approval from China for its 787-8 dreamliners.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said on its website in the evening on May 23 that Boeing had gained approval from China for its 787-8 dreamliners.
Boeing saw the aircraft model be grounded due to battery problems in January this year and after a battery improvement plan won a nod from both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), it gained approval form the CAAC for the product recently. That is to say its 787-8 dreamliners have won a nod to enter the Chinese civil aviation market and the first product ordered there will be delivered to China Southern Airlines Co., Ltd. (SEHK: 1055 and SHSE: 600029), a top airline in the market, soon.
787-8 dreamliners were thought highly by airlines around the globe before the launch and so far, Boeing has delivered 52 such jets, leaving over 800 ones to be delivered to 58 clients globally. And among the more than 800 ones, 41 ones were ordered by Chinese airlines. In detail, China Southern Airlines ordered 10, Hainan Airlines Co., Ltd. (SHSE: 600221) ordered 10 ones, Air China Ltd. (SHSE: 601111) ordered 15 ones, and Xiamen Airlines Co. Ltd. ordered six ones, each. The first one among the 10 ordered by China Southern Airlines is scheduled to be delivered at the start of June this year and that of those ordered by Hainan Airlines is expected to be delivered later.
For both Boeing and its archrival Airbus, China is a very important market and in order to seize more share there, they attach more importance to related competitions. And currently they each seizes an about 50 percent share there. However, they show quite different opinions on what aircraft models will well satisfy the demand of market in the future. In detail, the US-based one prefers to medium-sized jets with seats of over 200 ones such as 787 dreamliners while the France-based one believes that ultra big-sized jets with seats of up to 500 ones such as A380 will well satisfy the demand of market. Currently, the global order volume of 787 has exceeded 800 and among the total, 41 ones were ordered by airlines in the Chinese mainland. With A380, Airbus has established a leading position in the global ultra big-sized aircraft sector. However, except China Southern Airline, no other Chinese airlines have ordered the jet. China Southern Airlines has ordered five A380.
(USD 1 = CNY 6.13)
