China plans to sign a deal next month to buy 50 Boeing 787 Dreamliner jetliners in a deal worth $6 billion, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Friday.
The first planes would be delivered in June 2008 before the Summer Olympics in Beijing, Xinhua said, citing the State Development and Reform Commission, an agency of the Chinese Cabinet.
Airlines involved in the deal are the national flag carrier Air China, Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Xiamen Airlines and Shanghai Airlines, the report said.
The 787 is under development, with its first commercial flights scheduled in 2008.
China has announced a series of major purchases in recent years from Chicago-based Boeing Co. and its European rival, Airbus, to serve its booming airline industry.
Many aircraft makers view China as their most promising market.
