Airbus opens plant in China amid aviation boom

World
Europe

Airbus SE opened its Chinese completion plant for A330 jets on Wednesday, with hopes that an increased presence in the world’s fastest-growing aviation market will help boost demand for the firm’s profitable but aging wide-body jets.

Europe’s largest aerospace firm marked the opening of the center in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin with the delivery of the first A330 jet from the plant to Tianjin Airlines.

A330 jet /VCG Photo

The center is a joint venture between the Aviation Industry Corporation of China and Tianjin Free Trade Zone Investment Company and was first agreed upon during a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to France in 2014.

Airbus already has a final assembly line for single-aisle A320 jets in Tianjin, which began operation in 2008.

At the just opened center, Airbus will perform tasks such as aircraft painting and cabin installations as well as flight tests on aircraft received from Airbus’ final assembly line in Toulouse, France.

Airbus’ main US rival, Boeing, is also ramping up its footprint in the country as it vies for orders. It has said it will build a 737 completion plant in eastern China with aerospace manufacturer Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd.

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Source(s): Reuters