Taipei, June 26 (CNA) The board of directors of China Airlines (CAL) approved resolutions Tuesday to purchase three Boeing 777F freighters for its long-haul cargo fleet and 11 Airbus A321neo passenger planes for regional routes.
The delivery timeline is still unclear but will be unveiled after the agreements are signed, said the airline, one of Taiwan's two major international carriers, in a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange.
The total purchase price of the three 777Fs will not exceed US$1.06 billion (NT$33 billion) and that of the 11 A321neo single-aisle aircraft will not exceed US$1.42 billion, the airline said in the filings.
Those prices reflect the typical list prices for those aircraft, which are usually discounted when sales are finalized.
CAL said in a previous filing on June 19 it had started talks with Airbus and has signed a memorandum of agreement with the European multinational aerospace corporation for 11 A321neo aircraft, which will be followed by the signing of a formal purchase contract.
At the company's previous board meeting on May 8, directors approved the leasing of another 14 A321neo, which are expected to commence service on regional routes from 2021.
The introduction of the new narrow-body A321neo aircraft will give CAL better fuel efficiency and lower operating costs on its regional routes, while the 777F is at least 20 percent more fuel efficient than CAL's current 747-400F, according to the airline.
