CBI member, Airbus celebrated the 10th anniversary of its composite materials manufacturing joint venture in Harbin last Thursday. Airbus has been involved in a JV with the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) and the Harbin Development Zone Infrastructure Development Company to pursue research into the development of components for Airbus’s flagship A320 aircraft since December 2009.
The site expanding operations in 2010 to include the Airbus A350XWB model, and is now the sole composite structure supplier for A350XWB rudders, elevators, belly fairings and door-assembly packages, as well as all A320 single aisle rudder shells and 80% of A320 ruder assemblies.
Francois Mery, Airbus Commercial Aircraft China chief operating officer, said: “The 10th anniversary is an important milestone for the manufacturing centre and for our long-term partnership with the Chinese aviation industry. [Airbus] hope that we can get a greater market share in China, and our cooperation will not stop here.”
Airbus has been present in China for over thirty years, and more than 1,700 aircraft have been put into service in the Mainland. As of 2017, industrial cooperation between Airbus and Chinese partners was valued at $641 million. The Harbin site has also seen some landmark moments! Just last month Airbus delivered its 2,000th A320 rudder, as well as the company’s 300th A350XWB elevator.
Mery said, “The value of industrial cooperation in China is expected to reach $1 billion by 2020, and the growing speed is further than our expectations. The Chinese market is growing quickly, and it will be the largest market one day.”
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