Boeing and Airbus in dogfight over Chinese air travel market

China Southern inks lucrative deals worth $12.3b with two firms

Boeing Co and France-based Airbus Group SE have been competing against one another for a slice of the growing Chinese air travel market, and 2015 has been a "banner year" for both airplane manufacturers, according to sales figures and aviation experts.

China Southern Airlines Co, the country's largest carrier, announced a $2.3 billion purchase of 10 Airbus aircraft for its fleet last week, with the order coming just shortly after it said it would buy more than 100 planes from Boeing for $10 billion.