Chinese airline leases 23 Airbus aircraft.

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China Southern Airlines Northern, a unit of China Southern Air Holding Co, has signed a deal to lease 23 Airbus aircraft to replace its aging MD-82 and MD-90 aircraft.

The Shenyang-based airline will lease the

The remaining aircraft will either be A319s or A320s with six delivered in 2006 and the final six arriving in 2007. A spokesperson for China Southern Airlines Northern said the new aircraft would help cut the airline's training and maintenance costs, reports Dow Jones.

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