PARIS, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Over the past 40 years since Airbus entered China, the company had pursued win-win, sustained cooperation with its Chinese partners, through which China's supply chain had played an irreplaceable role in enhancing the company's global production capacity, said Xu Gang, CEO of Airbus China, in a recent exclusive interview with Xinhua.
"In 1985, Airbus delivered its first civil aircraft, an A310, to China. In 1995, Sichuan Airlines became the first Chinese customer for Airbus A320," Xu recalled. He noted that this year marks the 40th anniversary of the partnership between Airbus and the Chinese aviation industry, as well as the 30th anniversary of the Airbus single-aisle aircraft A320 family entering the Chinese market -- both milestones of great significance.
Nowadays, Airbus has made significant progress in the Chinese markets. As of the end of April, with over 2,200 aircraft, Airbus aircraft accounted for more than 50 percent of China's civil aviation fleet in service. About one-third of these aircraft came from the Airbus A320 Family Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Tianjin.
Starting operations in 2008, the Airbus Tianjin FAL has become a classic model of success in China-Europe high-tech cooperation, according to Xu.
"The FAL in Tianjin has been outstanding, no matter for its delivery quality, on-time delivery, cost competitiveness, or manufacturing expertise," Xu said. To date, the FAL has delivered nearly 800 aircraft to airlines around the world, with one-quarter of the aircraft produced in 2024 delivered outside China.
Xu also pointed out that for every A320 aircraft assembled in Tianjin, Chinese companies, with Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) on top, are responsible for the final assembly of the wings, integration of some fuselage systems, and production of numerous components, reflecting the importance of Chinese partners.
Xu further mentioned that construction of the second A320 Family FAL is progressing steadily and is expected to be put into operation early next year. Once fully operational, Airbus's A320 production capacity in China will be doubled.
Xu remarked that China's aviation supply chain has been developing rapidly, with increasing resilience, efficiency, and product quality, reaching a high level of maturity. "Embracing the competitiveness of China's supply chain has also greatly enhanced Airbus's own competitiveness," said Xu. As Airbus continues to ramp up its global production capacity, the contribution of the Chinese supply chain remains indispensable.
Xu emphasized that Airbus has greatly benefited from its cooperation with China in terms of cost, quality, and industrial resilience. At the same time, this partnership has accelerated and expanded the Chinese aviation supply chain, helping Chinese aerospace companies enter the global market -- a textbook example of win-win collaboration.
Looking ahead, Xu believes that there is tremendous potential for further China-Europe cooperation in the aviation industry. Beyond the supply chain, the focus will increasingly shift toward technological innovation and sustainable development.
Xu said that China is one of the world's most important centers of technological innovation, and Airbus is eager to deepen innovation cooperation with Chinese enterprises. For example, in the area of digitalization, both sides can jointly develop more digital solutions to ensure fleet efficiency, safety, and operational reliability in the future.
Additionally, as China and Europe are both firmly committed to sustainability and decarbonization, there is substantial potential for cooperation across technologies, production, markets, and even standards and regulations, said Xu, who believed that such collaboration will play a crucial role in driving the decarbonization of global aviation industry. (Contributed by Li Wenxin, edited by Yu Huichen with Xinhua Silk Road, yuhuichen@xinhua.org)
A single purchase
