China's Xiamen Airlines takes delivery of its first A321neo

Airbus has acquired a new operator in China with Xiamen Airlines taking delivery of its first A321-200N from the European manufacturer on New Year's Day. To date, Xiamen Airlines has been a Boeing operator, with 162 aircraft from the US manufacturer now in service. In an January 1 apron delivery ceremony well attended by Xiamen Airlines, Airbus, and Chinese government officials, Airbus China CEO George Xu said B-32CU was the manufacturer's first made-in-China A321neo. "The commissioning of the first A321 aircraft underlines Airbus's commitment to China, and it marks a new milestone in the industrial cooperation with our Chinese partners," he said. Airbus order data shows Xiamen Airlines ordered twenty-five A320-200Ns and fifteen A321-200Ns in September after facing challenges with capacity shortfalls across its existing fleet and long delivery delays at Boeing. ch-aviation fleets advanced data shows Xiamen Airlines currently operates nine B737-700s, ten B737-8s (all inactive), 131 B737-800s, six B787-8s, and six B787-9s.<br/>