Airbus will install a second aircraft assembly line in Tianjin, doubling its production capacity for A320 family aircraft on Chinese soil, European aircraft manufacturer Guillaume Faury, CEO, announced on Thursday.
“As the Chinese market continues to grow, it makes perfect sense for us to produce locally for Chinese airlines and probably other customers in the region,” he said.
The framework agreement was initialed by the Airbus boss in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron and his Chinese counterpart Xi Xinping in Beijing, an AFP journalist noted.
This new final assembly line (FAL, for “Final Assembly Line”) is scheduled to go into operation in the second half of 2025.
Airbus has had an A320 assembly line in Tianjin since 2008, which has produced more than 600 A320s. It currently produces four devices a month and is expected to increase to six later this year.
Once this new line is operational, Airbus will have ten worldwide: two in Tianjin, two in Mobile in the United States, two in Toulouse and four in Hamburg in Germany.