Visiting German Chancellor Angela
Merkel and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao today presided over a grand gathering of
some 1,000 people in Tianjin to celebrate the completion of the 100th
A320 Family aircraft assembled at the Airbus A320 Family Final Assembly Line
China (FALC), which is a joint venture between Airbus and its Chinese partners.
Among the participants attending the celebration were government officials from
China and Europe, representatives of Airbus and its Chinese partners and
customers as well as employees of the Airbus Tianjin Final Assembly Line and
Airbus Tianjin Delivery Centre, a subsidiary of Airbus in Tianjin.
One day before the
celebration, a framework agreement was signed by Airbus, Tianjin Free Trade Zone
(TJFTZ) and the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the two parties
of the Chinese consortium that hold a 49% stake in the FALC joint venture,
concerning the shared intention to continue the cooperation on the project
beyond the current business plan, which is due to expire in 2016. The agreement
was signed at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing as a part of a series of
Europe-China agreements in the presence of the German Chancellor and Chinese
Premier.
“The completion of the 100th A320 Family
aircraft by the Airbus Tianjin final assembly line represents a significant
milestone for the cooperation between Airbus and China, as well as the Airbus
strategy of internationalisation, one of the pillars of the Airbus vision for
our future,” said Fabrice
Brégier, Airbus President and CEO. “Having a final assembly line in
Tianjin has greatly promoted the Airbus brand and image in China and brought us
closer to our customers in one of the world’s most important aircraft markets. I would like to congratulate all
those involved in making FALC a great success and contributing to a win-win
situation for Airbus and the Chinese industry,” he added.
The FALC is the third A320 Family
final assembly line in the world after the ones in Toulouse, France and Hamburg,
Germany and the first Airbus aircraft final assembly line outside Europe. In
July this year, Airbus has announced its decision to establish an A320 Family final assembly line in
the United
States.
In December 2005, Airbus
and the Chinese government signed a MoU for the establishment of a single aisle
final assembly line in China. In May 2007, the construction of the Tianjin
assembly line started. In August 2008, the Tianjin final assembly line started
operation. In June 2009, the first aircraft assembled in Tianjin was delivered
to Sichuan Airlines. Since then a total of nearly 100 aircraft have already been
delivered to 11 Chinese operators from Tianjin. Since the agreement for the FALC
project was signed, China has placed orders for more than 550 A320 Family
aircraft. In the mean time, the in-service fleet of Airbus A320 Family aircraft
have expanded from some 200 to more than 700 as of end of July 2012.
(Airbus Media Press Release)