This development has raised questions regarding Cathay Pacific's future within the oneworld Alliance, given that Air China is part of the Star Alliance.
The Boeing 737 plane used a 50-50 mix of conventional jet fuel and biofuel made from “waste cooking oil collected from restaurants in China”.
The agreement was made as senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi co-chaired the 25th China-France Strategic Dialogue with French President's Diplomatic Advisor Emmanuel Bonne in Paris.
The South-East Asian tourist destinations will need to work hard to differentiate their offer in the face of strong competition.
But 46.8 percent of respondents confess that they are avoiding public holiday periods for outbound travel.
There are more than 1000 commitments to purchase the aircraft, the absolute majority from Chinese companies.
The recovery of capacity in cross-border flights also helped to lower ticket prices.
The flight marks a breakthrough in Boeing’s presence in the Chinese market, amid simmering geopolitical and economic tensions.