Airbus to start delivering A350 from its Tianjin plant in Q1

Airbus will start delivering the widebody A350 aircraft from its completion and delivery center in Tianjin from the first quarter of next year.

According to George Xu, CEO of Airbus China, they plan to gradually increase the delivery rate to about one aircraft a month, adding that China will become a very important strategic market for them.

Airbus delivered its 500th unit of A320 aircraft from its final assembly line in Tianjin to China's largest carrier, China Southern Airlines on Thursday.

Xu described the delivery as an important achievement of Airbus in China and a testimony to the excellent cooperation between their company and the Chinese aviation industry.

As of September, China Southern had accumulated a fleet of 368 Airbus aircraft, comprising A320, A330, A350, and A380.

The Tianjin facility has helped Airbus increase its market share in China against its US rival Boeing Co.

Airbus also has A320 production facilities in France, Germany, and Alabama.

China has been the first major market where demand had recovered for Airbus since the start of the pandemic.

The Tianjin facility, which has been in operation for 12 years, was one of the first Airbus facilities that resumed regular production.

The number of Chinese passengers who took flights has reached 98 percent of last year's level, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.