Airbus delivers first aircraft from its new assembly line in China
Baku, September 16, AZERTAC
Airbus on Wednesday delivered the first aircraft assembled at its new Final Assembly Line (FAL) for A320 family aircraft in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin, the second of its kind in both China and Asia, according to Xinhua.
The delivery represents a major milestone in Airbus' industrial footprint expansion in China and across its global industrial system, the company said.
China Eastern Airlines took delivery of the A320neo aircraft. Currently operating the largest Airbus fleet in the Chinese mainland, the airline in 1985 took delivery of an A310, China's first Airbus aircraft.
"The delivery underscores Airbus' long-term commitment to our Chinese partners and our confidence in the continuous growth of China's civil aviation market," said Philippe Mhun, Executive Vice President Programmes and Services of the Commercial Aircraft business at Airbus.
He Xiaoqun, vice president of China Eastern Airlines, said the two companies have worked together for more than four decades, with their cooperation expanding from aircraft acquisition to areas including operational support, maintenance engineering and technical services.
Mhun added that the second FAL in China, which was put into operation last October, is a critical facilitator for the company's global A320 Family ramp-up trajectory toward a production rate of 75 aircraft per month, and provides the necessary flexibility and capacity to meet strong market demand.
Since the inauguration of the first FAL in Tianjin in 2008, Airbus' first commercial aircraft assembly line outside Europe, the facility has assembled and delivered over 800 A320 Family aircraft. Chinese airlines now operate over 2,300 Airbus aircraft, about one-third assembled and delivered in Tianjin.
China, the country with the largest air-travel population, is Airbus' largest single-country market for civil aircraft. Airbus said its fleet share in China has risen from about 20 percent in 2008 to more than 50 percent today.
According to Airbus' latest Global Market Forecast, China's demand for new passenger aircraft is expected to reach 8,830 units over the next two decades, accounting for more than 20 percent of the estimated global total of 42,060 units.
"Looking ahead, we will continue to enhance our industrial footprint in China, underscoring our unwavering trust and deep-rooted cooperation with our Chinese partners," said Erik Buschmann, chief operating officer of Airbus China.
He added that the first delivery from the new assembly line stands as a "vivid testament to the long-term partnership, mutual achievement, and shared success between China and Europe."
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