China Southern Airlines confirmed Tuesday that it had ordered 45 aircraft, 20 from Airbus and 25 from Boeing.

The 20 Airbus A320s will go to China Southern itself, and the 25 Boeing 737-800 aircraft will be delivered to Xiamen Airlines, in which China Southern holds a 60 percent ownership.

The Airbus planes will be delivered beginning in March 2009, and the Boeing aircraft will be delivered beginning in July 2011.

The deal at list prices is worth about $3.7 billion.

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John Gillie, The News Tribune