Airbus signs deal with Chinese firm for 100 planes

European aerospace giant Airbus announced Thursday it had signed a preliminary deal to supply the China Aircraft Leasing Company with 100 planes, a contract worth around $10.2 billion (8.1 billion euros) at catalogue prices.

The Chinese leasing firm wants 74 A320neos, 16 A320ceos and 10 A321ceos, according to the Airbus statement. The A320 family is a range of medium-range aircraft, with the A320neo designed to consume 15 percent less fuel.

The deal "confirms the aircraft's popularity and appeal," said the chief executive of the leasing firm, while Airbus Chief Operating Officer John Leahy said it was "a strong signal of the continuing long-term success of our best-selling product line."

Airbus says its current version of the A320 family, which also includes the smaller A319 and bigger A321, has 60 percent of the global medium-haul market, ahead of US rival Boeing with its equivalent 737 aircraft.

The European firm says that to date, it has almost 11,000 orders of A320 family planes and over 6,200 aircraft have been delivered to 400 customers and operators worldwide.