Xiamen Airlines has begun 2023 by taking delivery of a new aircraft. The first A321neo joined the fleet after arriving in China's Fujian Province, making it the first Airbus in the Xiamen Airlines fleet. The delivery follows an announcement in 2022 of a large order for Airbus jets and is the first move to a mixed fleet of Boeing and Airbus aircraft.

Xiamen Airlines moves to a mixed fleet

Xiamen Airlines was established in 1984 and has operated with an all Boeing fleet ever since. According to data from ch-aviation.com, Xiamen Airlines currently has 143 Boeing aircraft active in its fleet. The fleet predominantly includes aircraft in the B737 and B787 families. Although the fleet has not grown much over the past few years, Xiamen Airlines has an order for further deliveries of B737 MAX in addition to the Airbus order.

The new A321neo will begin commercial flights later this year once it has been integrated into the airline and will fly across routes in China. It is a leased aircraft configured in a two-class layout with eight seats in business class and the remaining 200 seats in economy.

Water cannon salute for the delivery of the 1st A321neo for Xiamen Airlines.
Photo: Airbus

One reason for the change in strategy to add Airbus aircraft to the fleet is believed to be due to capacity issues with the existing fleet and orders from Boeing. Data from ch-aviation.com shows that 19 of the B737 fleet are in storage, with a further 22 of this type on order. However, the airline had been discussing options with Airbus for several years before the firm order in September 2022.

Airbus has been assembling A320 aircraft at its facility in Tianjin, China, since 2008, and it has now started to assemble A321 aircraft in Tianjin. This is an additional A321 assembly facility to add to its other sites in France, Germany, and the USA. Airbus has increased manufacturing capacity to respond to rising demand, and all four locations are capable of A321 assembly. Speaking in November 2022, Airbus Executive Vice-President and Airbus China CEO, George Xu, said,

"Since we announced plans to expand the capability of the final assembly line in Tianjin to A321 production last November, the Airbus Tianjin team has completed the relevant adaptation work on schedule by working closely with European experts and our suppliers to overcome the impact of the COVID-19. The commissioning of the first A321 aircraft underlines Airbus' commitment to China, and it marks a new milestone in the industrial cooperation with our Chinese partners."

Xiiamen Airlines Boeing 737China aviation market grows following COVID-19 restrictions

The aviation market in China has been making a gradual recovery, and with COVID-19 travel restrictions being eased, the market is expected to keep growing. This includes international passengers, following severe restrictions imposed over the last few years. The order announced in September 2022 was for 40 A320neo families of aircraft, and with assembly now being in China, Airbus has increased the production line capacity and anticipates that the overall delivery costs will be lower for customers in the region, particularly for Chinese airlines. Indeed, Airbus aims to further develop its presence in China, with George Xu stating,

“We hope to strengthen cooperation with the Chinese aviation industry chain."

Xiamen Airlines will be aiming to expand its fleet in line with recovering travel demand, and the order with Airbus will help to spread the risk of any supply chain issues with aircraft orders.

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