BEIJING—China’s three largest airlines have ordered or are negotiating deals for more than 100 commercial aircraft from Airbus and Boeing, including re-engined types from the European manufacturer, industry officials say. In contrast to the usual style of Chinese airliner orders as a new economic planning period approaches—in this case, the 2016-20 five-year plan—the deals that have been concluded or are under negotiation appear to be quite fractured, covering mostly small quantities of each aircraft type.

Upper ranks of the Chinese government have decided to split off the collection of factories and design institutes known as Avic Engine, say industry officials in China. The future of a separate subsidiary that is struggling to build a competitive civil turbofan, Avic Commercial Aircraft Engines (ACAE), is unconfirmed, but the unit must face a large risk of being folded into the mainstream aviation propulsion group, losing funding and priority.

BEIJING -— Japan has chosen the Northrop Grumman E-2D Hawkeye over the Boeing 737 AEW&C to fill a requirement for four surveillance aircraft, while also confirming it will go ahead with orders for the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk and Bell Boeing MV-22 Osprey. Three RQ-4s will be ordered in the fiscal year beginning in April 2015, NHK television says. The timing of orders for the other types is unknown. The defense ministry announced selection of the E-2D, RQ-4 and MV-22 on Nov. 21.