AIR CHINA IS TO TAKE delivery of three Airbus Industrie A340s, previously ordered by China Aviation Supplies (CASC).
Airline sources say that the aircraft will replace four Boeing 747SPs used for long-haul passenger flights and Government VIP missions. The three A340s will be in addition to Air China's expected order for ten Boeing 777s and five 747-400s.
State-run CASC ordered a total of six A340-200s in November 1993, in the expectation that China Southern Airlines would take the aircraft. The Guangzhou-based carrier's subsequent refusal to take the A340s over the Boeing 777 had left CASC without an end user.
Attention is now focused on placing the remaining three A340s. China Eastern Airlines appears to be the most likely taker.
Source: Flight International
