Shanghai-based low-cost carrier Spring Airlines and privately owned Juneyao Airlines disclosed stock-exchange filings on 29 December announcing plans to purchase 30 and 25 Airbus A320-family aircraft respectively, worth up to US $8.2 billion at list prices. Deliveries are slated for 2028-2032 and remain subject to Chinese government sign-off.
The move comes just weeks after regulators cleared the release of 120 previously ordered Airbus jets that were delayed during the pandemic. Industry insiders view the twin orders as a vote of confidence in sustained demand for both domestic and short-haul international travel – especially to Southeast and Northeast Asia – where narrow-body aircraft dominate.
Companies dispatching staff to inspect sites or negotiate supply contracts may also need to navigate evolving visa rules for China and its neighbours. VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/china/) streamlines applications for Chinese business visas as well as entry permits for the broader Asia-Pacific region, delivering door-to-door passport handling, real-time status tracking and dedicated account management—an efficient complement to the expanded flight options Spring and Juneyao are putting on the map.
![Spring Airlines and Juneyao order 55 Airbus A320-family jets, signalling fresh capacity for Chinese outbound market]()
For corporate mobility planners the development is good news: Spring and Juneyao both serve secondary mainland cities that multinationals increasingly rely on for manufacturing and R&D. Additional A320neos will allow densification of routes to Bangkok, Osaka, Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City, lowering fares and increasing departure-time flexibility.
The orders also reflect intensifying competition with China’s state-owned carriers ahead of the 2026 slot reallocation at the new Beijing Daxing and Chengdu Tianfu hubs. Juneyao said it will finance the purchase through a mix of bank loans, operating leases and internally generated cash, stressing that fuel-efficient A320neos will cut unit costs by up to 20 percent and meet China’s new carbon-intensity targets.
Airbus, which assembles A320s in Tianjin, hopes the deals will pave the way for the mega-order of 500 jets it has been courting since 2024. If confirmed, that backlog would secure production at the Tianjin line well into the 2030s.
The move comes just weeks after regulators cleared the release of 120 previously ordered Airbus jets that were delayed during the pandemic. Industry insiders view the twin orders as a vote of confidence in sustained demand for both domestic and short-haul international travel – especially to Southeast and Northeast Asia – where narrow-body aircraft dominate.
Companies dispatching staff to inspect sites or negotiate supply contracts may also need to navigate evolving visa rules for China and its neighbours. VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/china/) streamlines applications for Chinese business visas as well as entry permits for the broader Asia-Pacific region, delivering door-to-door passport handling, real-time status tracking and dedicated account management—an efficient complement to the expanded flight options Spring and Juneyao are putting on the map.
For corporate mobility planners the development is good news: Spring and Juneyao both serve secondary mainland cities that multinationals increasingly rely on for manufacturing and R&D. Additional A320neos will allow densification of routes to Bangkok, Osaka, Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City, lowering fares and increasing departure-time flexibility.
The orders also reflect intensifying competition with China’s state-owned carriers ahead of the 2026 slot reallocation at the new Beijing Daxing and Chengdu Tianfu hubs. Juneyao said it will finance the purchase through a mix of bank loans, operating leases and internally generated cash, stressing that fuel-efficient A320neos will cut unit costs by up to 20 percent and meet China’s new carbon-intensity targets.
Airbus, which assembles A320s in Tianjin, hopes the deals will pave the way for the mega-order of 500 jets it has been courting since 2024. If confirmed, that backlog would secure production at the Tianjin line well into the 2030s.
