Hong Kong Airlines agrees to buy 25 Airbus jets: Airbus

FARNBOROUGH: Hong Kong Airlines has signed a draft agreement to buy 15 A350 XWB and 10 A330-200 aircraft, European manufacturer Airbus said on Tuesday.

The deal at catalogue prices would be worth $5.7 billion (4.4 billion euros).

Airbus said that under terms of a memorandum of understanding, signed at the Farnborough International Airshow, deliveries of the A330-200s would begin in 2012. The first A350 XWB would be delivered in 2018.

The manufacturer added that the aircraft would serve a long-haul network being developed by the airline to link Hong Kong with cities in Europe and North America.

Hong Kong Airlines was established in 2006 and recently added long-haul services to Europe, complementing its Asian operations.