Airbus eyes further growth with Chinese market

Beijing: Forty years after delivering its first aircraft to the Chinese mainland, Airbus is eyeing further growth in the biggest single country market...

Beijing: Forty years after delivering its first aircraft to the Chinese mainland, Airbus is eyeing further growth in the biggest single-country market for its aircraft.

Currently, about 2,200 Airbus planes are in service in China, accounting for more than 50 percent of China's civil aviation market, compared with less than 10 percent in 1995, according to Airbus China.

Despite decades of rapid development, China's aviation industry is far from saturation and still has huge potential for growth, said George Xu, Airbus executive vice president and CEO of Airbus China. Airbus estimates that China will need approximately 9,000 new planes over the next 20 years.

As an example of high-tech cooperation between China and Europe, the collaboration between Airbus and China encompasses research and development, manufacturing and final assembly, operational support, dismantling, and recycling after retirement.

Since its launch in 2008, the Tianjin Airbus A320 Family Final Assembly Line (FAL) has produced about one-third of the more than 2,000 Airbus aircraft currently in service in China's fleet, and has also delivered planes to customers in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.