Air China (CA, Beijing Capital) has placed an order for fifteen A350-900s, while its subsidiary Shenzhen Airlines (ZH, Shenzhen) signed a separate agreement for forty A320-200Ns.

The state-owned group disclosed the order in a July 17 filing at the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

Deliveries of the A320neo are scheduled between 2029 and 2032, while the widebodies will deliver between 2030 and 2032. Air China will fund the acquisition from own funds and bank loans and is not planning to raise additional capital for this purpose, it said. It added that "a part" of the acquired aircraft will be used for the replacement of its existing fleet, ensuring the total fleet growth rate remains "within a controllable range".

ch-aviation data shows Air China already operates twenty-eight A350-900s. Shenzhen Airlines' fleet comprises, among others, thirty-five A320-200Ns and eight A321-200NX. It also has a confirmed order for another twenty-two A321-200NX.

The airline disclosed the order one day after US President Donald Trump made a speech alleging that China heavily meddled in the 2020 elections, which he lost to Joe Biden. The accusations prompted immediate and strong rebuttals from Beijing.