A380. Courtesy, Airbus

Hainan Airlines’ subsidiary Hong Kong Airlines (HX) has placed a firm order for 10 A380s, according to widely published reports. According to Bloomberg, the order is valued at about $ 3.8 billion at list prices.

The Hong Kong-based carrier will reportedly receive the first A380 in 2015.

An Airbus spokesperson told ATW the manufacturer will not comment on the order before its annual press conference Jan. 17.

Last June, the Chinese government reportedly blocked the order, which was supposed to be announced at Paris Air Show, in part to express its disapproval of Chinese carriers’ inclusion in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), which took effect Jan. 1 ( ATW Daily News, June 28, 2011 ).

The Chinese government has not yet decided how to confront the EU ETS ( ATW Daily News, Jan. 6 ). Local industry experts are calling on Beijing to launch a trade war against the EU.