China Southern Airlines signed a contract with Airbus Tuesday in Beijing on purchase of 10 Airbus A330s at a price of 1.8 billion US dollars.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and British Prime Minister Tony Blair attended the signing ceremony.

The 10 A330 aircraft will be delivered from 2007 to 2008, said sources with the Airbus.

China Southern Airlines already operates four A330-200s on domestic trunk and international routes.

"As the largest carrier in China, we are planning to expand our business both domestically and internationally. The selection of 10 additional A330s will definitely increase our capability and flexibility in flight operation, especially in the domestic trunk and regional routes," said Si Xianmin, president of China Southern Airlines.

As the first A330 customer on the Chinese Mainland, China Southern Airlines currently operates a fleet of 61 Airbus aircraft. On April 21, 2005, the Guangzhou-based carrier ordered five A380s, becoming the first customer of this model in China and the 15th in the world.

Laurence Barron, Airbus China president, said his company would deliver 60 plus aircraft to China this year, and one sixth of the planes are coming to China.

"The total number of wide-bodied jets in China is only equivalent to the fleet size of one big American carrier," said Barron, expecting a growth rate of 20 percent a year there for the foreseeable future.

Airbus entered China in 1985 with its first delivery of an A310 to China Eastern Airlines. In 1994, Airbus China Company Ltd. was officially established and Airbus China Beijing Representative Office started operation.

(Xinhua News Agency September 8, 2005)