BoCom Leasing on Wednesday signed a deal with Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. (COMAC) to buy 30 of the nation's homegrown C919 large passenger planes.

The financial leasing arm of China's Bank of Communications (BoCom), the nation's fifth largest lender, signed the new order as it sought to expand its fleet size to cash in on the country's rapidly growing demand for air services.

The deal is also a boost for COMAC as the newcomer looks to compete with dominant passenger plane makers Airbus and Boeing to win a slice of the international aviation market share.

Neither side revealed the value of the order.

The new deal brings the total order of C919 passenger jets to 195.

At the Zhuhai Airshow last year, COMAC received its first orders for a total of 100 C919s from Air China, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, CDB Leasing and GE Capital Aviation Services.

Last month, ICBC Leasing ordered 45 C919 passenger jets and Sichuan Airlines ordered 20 from COMAC.

ICBC Leasing is the financial leasing arm of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the country's largest lender.

COMAC has said it will develop both 168-seat and 156-seat models of the jet, with more models to be developed in the future.

It has also said that test flights for the single-aisle C919 are scheduled for 2014, and delivery is slated for 2016.

Source:xinhuanet