=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/n/a/2005/05/10/financial/= f192124D45.DTL --------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday, May 10, 2005 (AP) Chinese Airlines to Buy 45 Boeing Jets (05-10) 19:21 PDT SHANGHAI, China (AP) -- China Southern Airlines Co. and affiliate Xiamen Airlines Co. announced Tuesday they have signed a deal to buy 45 Boeing 737s. A contract signed April 29 calls for the two airlines to buy a dozen 737-700 jets and 33 737-800 jets, China Southern said in a statement. The purchases are to be financed by bank loans, and the aircraft are to be delivered by 2008, the airline said in a statement. The deal requires shareholders' approval. China is a key battleground in the trans-Atlantic aerospace rivalry. Xiamen Airlines announced earlier this year that it and five other Chinese carriers had ordered 60 mid-sized, long-range 7E7s from Boeing Co., delivering a major boost to the Chicago-based aerospace company. In January, China Southern, which is based in the southern city of Guangzhou, signed an order for five Airbus A380 "superjumbos" in a deal worth $1.4 billion at catalog prices. That deal was a major breakthrough for the European aircraft maker in one of the world's fastest growing markets. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2005 AP