China's Shandong Airlines plans to acquire eight Boeing 737s over the next five years to expand in the China market, the company said in a statement.

Shandong Airlines, a small local carrier based in the eastern city of Jinan, said on Friday it would buy six 737s to be delivered in 2007 and 2008, adding it aimed to rent another two planes of the same type this year. The statement did not say how much would be paid for the planes.

China, the world's fastest-expanding major aviation market, is a pivotal battleground between Boeing and Airbus.