Airbus opens new jet assembly line in China

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus inaugurated on Wednesday its latest final assembly line for the A320 aircraft family in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin, the second of its kind in both China and Asia, underscoring the company's continued commitment to the nation — its largest market.

With preparations for assembling its first single-aisle jet underway, the new facility aims to become fully operational by early 2026.

Amid global uncertainties, Airbus said it remains committed to its "in China, for China" strategy, a key initiative that helps strengthen the resilience of its supply chain.

"We are committed to China, especially in the context of the deglobalization trend, and Airbus will continue to invest in China. The city of Tianjin has become an aviation powerhouse," said Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury.

"The second line is reinforcing our presence in the Chinese market. It provides us with the necessary flexibility and capacity to deliver on our plan to assemble 75 A320 aircraft per month in 2027," he said.

Faury added that Airbus is ramping up production capacity across all its product lines.

The latest final assembly line is expected to double Airbus' production capacity for the A320 aircraft series in Tianjin for delivery to both domestic and international carriers.

Last year, 25 percent of the A320 aircraft series assembled on the company's first final assembly line in Tianjin were delivered to foreign carriers.

Noting that China's industrial ecosystem is continuously advancing, Faury said the company plans to further develop and enhance its supply chain in China, as well as recruit more talent.

Qi Qi, a senior independent civil aviation industry analyst, said the launch of Airbus' second A320 series final assembly line in China demonstrates its confidence in the global market demand for the model and its optimism for the country's market investment environment.

"Airbus' move to expand production capacity in China will bring more Chinese aviation players to the upstream and downstream of its industrial chain, especially to support the production capacity of the two final assembly lines in Tianjin," Qi said.

Airbus' first A320 series final assembly line in China, which was inaugurated in Tianjin in 2008, was the company's first commercial aircraft production facility outside Europe.

To date, the Tianjin facility has assembled and delivered more than 780 aircraft of the A320 family, cementing its status as a symbol of successful Sino-European cooperation, according to Airbus.

The new line complements Airbus' global production network. The company now operates 10 final assembly lines for the A320 series globally. In addition to the two in Tianjin, it has four in Hamburg, Germany, two in Toulouse, France, and two in Mobile, Alabama, the United States.

Jorge Toledo Albinana, ambassador of the European Union to China, called the opening of the second final assembly line very good news in such turbulent times.

It is nice to celebrate in Tianjin one of the best and successful examples of China-Europe cooperation, he said, adding that Airbus' investment in the port city is no coincidence, but the result of the city's strong standing as a hub for free trade and innovation.

On Tuesday, Commerce Minister Wang Wentao met with Faury in Beijing during the Airbus CEO's visit to China.

Wang said the Chinese market has been expanding steadily and has become the world's second-largest consumption and import market. China will continue to promote the development of new quality productive forces, which will provide broad growth opportunities for foreign companies, including Airbus, he said.

Emphasizing that the fragmentation of the global economy is currently intensifying, and unilateralism and protectionism are disrupting the international economic and trade order, Wang said that China will give full play to the role of the roundtable for foreign-funded enterprises and work together to safeguard the stability of global industrial and supply chains.

Faury said that Airbus has full confidence in the development of China's economy and its civil aviation sector. The company is committed to continuously strengthening its presence in China and contributing to advancing economic and trade cooperation between China and France, as well as between China and the European Union, he said.

Airbus holds great respect for the achievements of Commercial Aircraft Corp of China's C919 models, Faury added.

zhuwenqian@chinadaily.com.cn