China Aircraft Leasing Co (CALC) has committed to buying 36 of Airbus's A320 passenger jets in a deal worth US$3.1 billion at list prices, the European planemaker said at the Farnborough Airshow on Wednesday.

The deal includes eight A321 planes, the largest member of the A320 family of single-aisle aircraft, Airbus said.

CALC currently has a portfolio of 15 planes and wants to increase this to 100 by 2015, CEO Mike Poon told journalists.

"We expect the majority of the planes to go to China and Asia," he said. Operators of the planes will be able to choose whether to have the new fuel-saving Sharklets fitted to the wingtips.

Airbus sales chief John Leahy said the planes ordered would be built at both its Tianjin plant in China and in Europe.