EUROPEAN plane maker Airbus said Monday that it has reached a deal to sell 300 passenger jets to Chinese airlines. The agreement was signed during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to France.

The order covers 290 planes from the A320 family and 10 from the A350 line, Airbus said in a statement, calling it a sign of strong demand from all areas of China’s rapidly expanding aviation market, including “domestic, low cost, regional and international long haul.”

The European manufacturer didn’t specify the total value of the deal. Based on Airbus’ list prices, the planes are worth roughly US$35 billion altogether, but customers can get big discounts for huge orders.

(SD-Agencies)