Hong Kong – 4 January 2016 - China Aircraft Leasing Group Holdings Limited (“CALC” or the “Group”, stock code: 01848.HK), the largest independent aircraft operating lessor in China, is pleased to announce that it has entered into the Aircraft Purchase Agreements with Airbus S.A.S. (“Airbus”) for two Airbus A320-200 CEO series aircraft on 31 December 2015, bringing the lessor’s order book to 142 A320 series aircraft. It is estimated that the aircraft will be delivered to the lessor in November 2016.

CALC will purchase the two aircraft at an aggregate consideration of no more than US$194 million (equivalent to approximately HK$1.51 billion). The consideration will be partly settled by the Group’s internal resources and partly by financing arrangements with banking institutions. In accordance with industrial practice, Airbus will grant CALC price concessions for those aircraft to be purchased. Such price concessions are determined after arm length negotiations, and the consideration will be considerably lower than the listed price as a result.

CALC’s current portfolio consists of 63 current generation Airbus and Boeing aircraft with an average age of less than 4 years. With the newly signed purchase agreement, CALC’s fleet is expected to expand to 170 aircraft by 2022. The Group is speeding up its international expansion plans and has strengthened its cooperation with fast growing carriers from the expanding emerging markets in order to diversify its portfolio. CALC targets to build a balanced portfolio of Chinese and non-Chinese airlines client by 2020.

The A320 single-aisle jetliner family (composed of the A318, A319, A320 and A321) is the world’s best-selling single-aisle aircraft family. It is used in a full range of services from very short-haul airline routes to intercontinental segments, on operations from challenging in-city airports to high-altitude airfields and an Antarctic ice runway. The A320's fuel and operational efficiency is also well-suited for airline operators.