CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES, with no less than British prime minister Tony Blair looking on, has signed a contract with Airbus for the purchase of ten additional Airbus A330s, all to be delivered in time for the 2008 Olympics. The Guangzhou-based carrier already operates four A330-200s on domestic trunk and international routes and was the first Chinese A330 customer. It is a lead airline for the A380. The airline”s only European destination is Amsterdam, from where it operates four times weekly to Beijing and on to Guangzhou. And Mr Blair”s connection ” BAe Systems owns 20% of Airbus and 60% of the A380 originates in the UK a point not lost on the pragmatic Chinese who only showed their own and the British flag at the signing ceremony. Also this week Airbus delivered its 4,000th aircraft, a A330-200 to Lufthansa.
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