Airbus signs $10 billion deal with China

PARIS — China ordered 150 Airbus single-aisle A320 airliners Monday, more than twice as many plane orders as the company’s U.S.-based rival Boeing Co. snagged from China last month.

The European aircraft manufacturer said the deal was worth nearly $10 billion and was “the largest single order that Airbus has ever received since it entered the Chinese market two decades ago.”

The A319s, A320s and A321s, all part of the A320 family, will go to Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines and Hainan Airlines.

The order upstages China’s purchase last month of 70 Boeing jets during a visit to Beijing by President Bush. At list prices that deal was worth about $4 billion. Buyers typically get discounts on large orders.

Until now, Chicago-based Boeing has won about 60 percent of new plane orders from China, with Airbus taking about one-third.

Boeing shares fell 55 cents to $68.89 in morning trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Its shares have ranged from $49.52 to $70 over the past 52 weeks.

The order for Airbus planes was announced on the second day of a visit to France by Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. Representatives from Airbus and China’s Central Aircraft Sales Corp. signed the deal in the presence of the Chinese premier and his French counterpart Dominique de Villepin.

In all, the two prime ministers oversaw the signing of 16 contracts or deals worth a total of $10.5 billion, including the Airbus order.