Air China has mandated two groups of banks for the financing of eight Airbus A320 Family aircraft scheduled for delivery in the second half of this year.

The Chinese carrier has opted for 10-year French lease structure along with ECA-backed structure.

Air China mandated Natixis Transport Finance to arrange a French lease on two Airbus A320s and two A321s. The French bank teamed up with Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi to arrange the debt under an ECA guarantee. NTF and BTMU aircraft are scheduled to deliver between July and September.

Another two A320s and two A321s that are due for delivery in the fourth quarter have been mandated to BNP Paribas, the French tax lease arranger. The French bank teamed up with Citi to arrange the debt under an ECA guarantee.

Source: Commercial Aviation Online