Chinese start-up East Star Airlines is to lease 10 Airbus A319/A320s from GE Commercial Aviation Services (GECAS). In addition, it is buying 10 A320s from Airbus.
All 20 aircraft will be powered by CFM International CFM56 engines, says Wuhan-based East Star Airlines, which plans to launch domestic operations in May 2006. Airbus China vice-president of sales Eric Chen says three of the aircraft from GECAS will be A319s and the rest will be A320s, while the 10 aircraft East Star plans to purchase from Airbus will be A320s delivered in 2009 and 2010. Chen says East Star has signed a memorandum of understanding with GECAS and a letter of intent with Airbus.
East Star plans to take three of the leased aircraft in 2006 and operate them from its Wuhan base to major cities in China. It gained preliminary approval in June from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, but it has yet to get its air operator’s certificate.
Source: Flight International
