Airbus opens service center in China, first outside Europe

beijingwalker · Apr 28, 2023

Airbus opens service center in China, first outside Europe

Online News EditorApril 27, 2023

Beijing, Apr 27 (EFE).- European aircraft manufacturer Airbus has opened its first service center outside of the continent in southwest China, the official Chinese media reported on Thursday.

The facility was inaugurated on Wednesday, Xinhua news agency said.

The sprawling 717,000-sq meters aircraft lifecycle service center will have the capacity to house 125 aircraft.

Airbus said the lifecycle service center will provide parking, storage, maintenance, upgrading, modification, dismantling, and recycling services for all aircraft.

The facility comes in a collaboration between Airbus, TARMAC Aerosave, and Aerotropolis Xingcheng Group, based in Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan Province.

The center marks the scope of Airbus in China across the aviation industry chain.

In early April, during the official visit to China by French President Emmanuel Macron, Airbus announced the construction of a second single-aisle A320 assembly line at its Tianjin plant in the northeast of the country.

The assembly line will come into service in the second half of 2025, allowing it to double its production capacity in China, said Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury, who accompanied Macron to Beijing.

The Tianjin factory is not enough to supply the companies of the Asian giant, which represents around 20 percent of the deliveries of the European manufacturer.

Airbus forecasts that Chinese air traffic will grow 5.3 percent per year in the next 20 years, compared to 3.6 percent globally.

The French president’s visit to China also resulted in Airbus getting the go-ahead from the Chinese authorities to order 150 aircraft of the A320 single-aisle family and 10 of the A350 long-range double-aisle model. EFE