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A320 wings to be equipped in Tianjin

By Lu Haoting (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-02-03 11:45

Xi'an Aircraft Industry Co (XAC) signed an agreement with Airbus in London on Feb 2 to provide wing equipping work for the A320 family aircraft.

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Wing equipping operations are expected to start at the end of 2009 in Tianjin at a site close to the A320 final assembly line. XAC will deliver the first fully equipped wings in the first quarter of 2010. The production rate will be ramped up to four units per month by the end of 2011 from two units in 2010.

Currently the wing box structures are shipped back to the UK for installation of moving parts and systems.

"Having this (wing box assembly) facility so close to the final assembly line in China is the most efficient industrial solution. It will save transportation costs, reduce lead-time and risks in handling, and ensure quicker response time to our customers," said Brian Fleet, Airbus senior vice president, wing and pylon centre of excellence.

XAC, a subsidiary of Aviation Industry Corp of China, delivered the first A319 wing box made in China in 2007. The wing box, or main body of the wing, is the largest and most complicated Airbus aircraft component a Chinese company has ever made. China is Airbus' only wing box manufacturer outside Europe.

The Airbus A320 final assembly line in Tianjin was launched in September last year as the company's third aircraft final assembly line. The other two are in France and Germany. The Tianjin facility will deliver the first aircraft in mid 2009 and be able to roll out four jets a month by the end of 2011.