The Airbus chinese puzzle?
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The Airbus chinese puzzle?
Two rather contradictory and puzzling stories in the last couple of days! What do you make of this? 
Thursday August 23, 6:03 am Eastern Time
China Southern has no plans to acquire Airbus jets
HONG KONG, Aug 23 (Reuters) - China Southern Airlines (NYSE:ZNH - news), the country's largest carrier which said this month it would acquire 20 Boeing (NYSE:BA - news) planes, said on Thursday it has no plans to buy Airbus jets.
"We have no plans to increase the number of our Airbus planes,'' vice chairman and president Wang Changshun told reporters at an interim results briefing but declined to give further details.
At the end of June 2001, the Guangzhou-based airline had 110 aircraft, including 90 Boeing planes and 20 Airbus planes.
Airbus SAS said on Wednesday China will probably order between 30 and 50 of its 150-seat A320 plane this year.
Last week, China Southern said it intended to acquire 20 Boeing 737-800 jetliners and two 747-400 freighter aircraft by entering into finance leases with third parties. The acquisition is subject to Chinese government approval.
China Southern said it would enter the 10-year-term finance lease contracts for the aircraft between 2002 and 2005. It said Boeing was one of the parties to the leases and the others were not connected with the airline.
The 20 737-800 aircraft would replace 20 existing 737 series aircraft now flown by China Southern under operating leases.
Wang said China Southern plans to sell another Airbus plane and lease it back in the second half of this year.
Chief Financial Officer Xu Jiebo said the deal would likely bring a gain of over 18 million yuan to China Southern, which booked one-off gain of 17.66 million yuan into its interim 2001 net profits by selling one Airbus 320-200 and leasing it back in the first half.
China Southern said on Wednesday its interim 2001 net profits fell 42 percent year on year to 201.49 million yuan from 347.97 million yuan in the same period last year due largely to increased fuel prices.
China Southern shares ended up 7.14 percent at HK$1.95 on Thursday. The stock had lost more than 12 percent earlier in the week on expectations of poor earnings.
And the day before, this is the claim attributed to Airbus!
Wednesday August 22, 5:32 am Eastern Time
Airbus says China may order up to 50 A320 planes
TOULOUSE, France, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Airbus SAS [ARBU.UL] said on Wednesday that China will probably order as many as 50 of its planes this year, helping erode the dominance of rival Boeing Co. in the world's most populous country.
A spokesman for the European planemaker confirmed comments by its top salesman John Leahy that China is likely to commit itself by the end of the year to buying between 30 and 50 of its 150-seat A320 plane.
A contract for 50 aircraft could be worth about $2.7 billion based on catalogue prices this year, although buyers often demand hefty discounts, and would move Airbus closer to its goal of selling 400 planes this year.
Boeing (NYSE:BA - news) still has an overwhelming dominance in China, which has become a battleground for aircraft manufacturers hit by a fall in orders due to a global economic slowdown.
The U.S. firm expects to land an order for 30 to 40 new airliners from Chinese carriers this year, although central authorities have yet to give final approval for the deal.
Toulouse-based Airbus, owned by European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co and BAE Systems Plc (quote from Yahoo! UK & Ireland: BA.L), now has 157 aircraft in service in China, Hong Kong and Macau. It has more than 100 aircraft in service on the mainland.
Officials from the powerful State Development Planning Commission, which must approve plane purchases, said on Tuesday they were unaware of a major Airbus order.
Thursday August 23, 6:03 am Eastern Time
China Southern has no plans to acquire Airbus jets
HONG KONG, Aug 23 (Reuters) - China Southern Airlines (NYSE:ZNH - news), the country's largest carrier which said this month it would acquire 20 Boeing (NYSE:BA - news) planes, said on Thursday it has no plans to buy Airbus jets.
"We have no plans to increase the number of our Airbus planes,'' vice chairman and president Wang Changshun told reporters at an interim results briefing but declined to give further details.
At the end of June 2001, the Guangzhou-based airline had 110 aircraft, including 90 Boeing planes and 20 Airbus planes.
Airbus SAS said on Wednesday China will probably order between 30 and 50 of its 150-seat A320 plane this year.
Last week, China Southern said it intended to acquire 20 Boeing 737-800 jetliners and two 747-400 freighter aircraft by entering into finance leases with third parties. The acquisition is subject to Chinese government approval.
China Southern said it would enter the 10-year-term finance lease contracts for the aircraft between 2002 and 2005. It said Boeing was one of the parties to the leases and the others were not connected with the airline.
The 20 737-800 aircraft would replace 20 existing 737 series aircraft now flown by China Southern under operating leases.
Wang said China Southern plans to sell another Airbus plane and lease it back in the second half of this year.
Chief Financial Officer Xu Jiebo said the deal would likely bring a gain of over 18 million yuan to China Southern, which booked one-off gain of 17.66 million yuan into its interim 2001 net profits by selling one Airbus 320-200 and leasing it back in the first half.
China Southern said on Wednesday its interim 2001 net profits fell 42 percent year on year to 201.49 million yuan from 347.97 million yuan in the same period last year due largely to increased fuel prices.
China Southern shares ended up 7.14 percent at HK$1.95 on Thursday. The stock had lost more than 12 percent earlier in the week on expectations of poor earnings.
And the day before, this is the claim attributed to Airbus!
Wednesday August 22, 5:32 am Eastern Time
Airbus says China may order up to 50 A320 planes
TOULOUSE, France, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Airbus SAS [ARBU.UL] said on Wednesday that China will probably order as many as 50 of its planes this year, helping erode the dominance of rival Boeing Co. in the world's most populous country.
A spokesman for the European planemaker confirmed comments by its top salesman John Leahy that China is likely to commit itself by the end of the year to buying between 30 and 50 of its 150-seat A320 plane.
A contract for 50 aircraft could be worth about $2.7 billion based on catalogue prices this year, although buyers often demand hefty discounts, and would move Airbus closer to its goal of selling 400 planes this year.
Boeing (NYSE:BA - news) still has an overwhelming dominance in China, which has become a battleground for aircraft manufacturers hit by a fall in orders due to a global economic slowdown.
The U.S. firm expects to land an order for 30 to 40 new airliners from Chinese carriers this year, although central authorities have yet to give final approval for the deal.
Toulouse-based Airbus, owned by European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co and BAE Systems Plc (quote from Yahoo! UK & Ireland: BA.L), now has 157 aircraft in service in China, Hong Kong and Macau. It has more than 100 aircraft in service on the mainland.
Officials from the powerful State Development Planning Commission, which must approve plane purchases, said on Tuesday they were unaware of a major Airbus order.
