Economic Watch: Airbus' first delivery from new China assembly line highlights supply chain resilience

TIANJIN, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Airbus on Wednesday delivered the first aircraft assembled at its new Final Assembly Line (FAL) for A320 family aircraft in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin, the second of its kind in both China and Asia.

The delivery represents a major milestone in Airbus' industrial footprint expansion in China and across its global industrial system, the company said.

This photo shows Airbus' second Final Assembly Line (FAL) for A320 family aircraft in Tianjin, north China, Oct. 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Sun Fanyue)

China Eastern Airlines took delivery of the A320neo aircraft. Currently operating the largest Airbus fleet in the Chinese mainland, the airline in 1985 took delivery of an A310, China's first Airbus aircraft.

"Achieving this first delivery is a true testament to the legendary 'China speed,'" said Philippe Mhun, executive vice president for programmes and services of commercial aircraft business at Airbus.

Mhun added that the delivery underscores Airbus' long-term commitment to its Chinese partners, its confidence in the continuous growth of China's civil aviation market, and China's irreplaceable supply chain resilience and delivery capability in Airbus' global industrial footprint.

He Xiaoqun, vice president of China Eastern Airlines, said the two companies have worked together for more than four decades, with their cooperation expanding from aircraft acquisition to areas including operational support, maintenance engineering and technical services.

China, the country with the largest air-travel population globally, handled nearly 1.53 billion passenger trips at its civil aviation airports in 2025, up 4.8 percent year on year, data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China revealed.

Mhun added that the second FAL in China, which was put into operation last October, is a critical facilitator for the company's global A320 Family ramp-up trajectory toward a production rate of 75 A320 aircraft per month, and provides the necessary flexibility and capacity to meet strong market demand.

Since the inauguration of the first FAL in Tianjin in 2008, Airbus' first commercial aircraft assembly line outside Europe, the facility has assembled and delivered over 800 A320 Family aircraft. Chinese airlines now operate over 2,300 Airbus aircraft, with about one-third assembled and delivered in Tianjin.

From small brackets, angle fittings and seats to large components such as fuselage sections, wings, tail cones and cabin doors, some 200 Chinese suppliers support Airbus' commercial aircraft production, the plane manufacturer said.

In the Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone alone, more than 100 aviation companies have clustered, with over 20 firms directly cooperating with Airbus.

Bai Jingyu, head of the Department of Innovation and High-Tech Development of the National Development and Reform Commission, said it is hoped that Airbus will make full use of the major projects already clustered in Tianjin to accelerate the vertical integration of industrial and supply chains.

Bai called on Airbus to further leverage China's industrial strengths, expand industrial cooperation, and actively promote the localization of manufacturing and supply for major components like fuselages and wings, thereby increasing the share of locally sourced production.

"Airbus has established a complete, end-to-end industrial layout in China covering the entire industrial chain," Mhun said, adding that China's resilient, robust aviation supply chain and industrial ecosystem enable Airbus to supply the world from China and help drive global aviation growth.

In 2025, Airbus' total annual industrial cooperation value with China exceeded 1.4 billion U.S. dollars, according to the company.

According to Airbus' latest Global Market Forecast, China's demand for new passenger aircraft is expected to reach 8,830 units over the next two decades, accounting for more than 20 percent of the estimated global total of 42,060 units.

"Looking ahead, we will continue to enhance our industrial footprint in China, underscoring our unwavering trust and deep-rooted cooperation with our Chinese partners," said Erik Buschmann, chief operating officer of Airbus China.

He added that the first delivery from the new assembly line stands as a "vivid testament to the long-term partnership, mutual achievement, and shared success between China and Europe."  ■