Air China Studies Airbus A380 to Meet Expanding Demand

Air China Ltd., the nation’s largest international carrier, is studying the feasibility of acquiring A380 aircraft made by Airbus as it expands its fleet to meet growing demand for air travel.

“We are looking into that,” Air China Chairman Li Jiaxiang told reporters in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai before the opening of the Fifth China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition.

Beijing-based Air China and rivals China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines are expanding their fleets as China’s economic growth spurs demand for air travel. Passenger traffic in China is expected to grow 7.3% annually in the next two decades, compared with a global average of 5.2%, according to Boeing Co.

Air China is in talks with both Airbus and Boeing, the world’s largest makers of commercial aircraft, Li said. The airline last month placed orders for six A319 planes from Toulouse, France-based Airbus.

Airbus delivered more planes than Chicago-based Boeing for the first time last year and is set to continue to lead the market for the next few years given its large backlog of orders.