China to buy 35 planes from Brazil

BEIJING, April 12 (AFP): Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer will sell 35 E190 planes to two Chinese airlines in a deal to be signed during President Dilma Rousseff's visit to China, Brazilian officials said Tuesday. Rousseff was due to meet her Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao on Tuesday, and the deal -- which, based on the plane list price of $40 million, would be worth $1.4 billion -- was expected to be made public at that time, they said. Under the agreement, state-owned giant China Southern and Hebei Airlines, a regional carrier based in the north of the country, will purchase 20 and 15 E190 planes, respectively. The aircraft can seat 98 to 114 people. Embraer is also due to sign an agreement with state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) to manufacture the firm's Legacy 600 business jet in the Asian nation, the officials said.