Airbus has secured a deal to supply 70 aircraft, worth more than $10 billion, to China’s state-owned purchasing agency.
The order had been on hold due to a row between the EU and outside countries over carbon emissions tax on flights.
The breakthrough came during a state visit to France by Chinese president Xi Jinping.
The order includes 27 long-haul Airbus A330s and 43 A320s.
China also signed a new 10-year agreement allowing Airbus to continue building aircraft in the northern city of Tianjin until 2025.
A fifth of Airbus’s global production takes place on the Chinese mainland.
French president Francois Hollande told his Chinese counterpart that he wanted to “re-balance trade between our two countries,” thr BBC reported.
Aerospace already accounts for 29% of French exports to China.