On Wednesday, Airbus announced the launch of a second assembly line in China, aimed at boosting production capacity for its popular A320neo single-aisle jets.
This new assembly line completes a network of 10 global final assembly lines that Airbus plans to utilize in a production surge, including two lines each in the U.S. and China.
Located in the port city of Tianjin near Beijing, the second Chinese line is projected to be fully operational by early 2026, as stated by the European aircraft manufacturer.
The inauguration follows shortly after Airbus opened another final assembly line in Mobile, Alabama.
Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury stated that the second Tianjin line will provide the flexibility and capacity necessary to achieve the target of producing 75 A320-family aircraft per month by 2027, reaffirming a global production goal.
Currently, analysts estimate Airbus is producing around 60 single-aisle planes monthly. The A320neo family rivals Boeing’s 737 MAX and COMAC’s C919, which have lower production volumes.
Faury attended the opening ceremony at the Tianjin factory, where large European Union and Chinese flags adorned the backdrop.
The day before, Faury met with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, according to a ministry statement.
During their meeting, Wang emphasized that increasing economic fragmentation and unilateral protectionist actions were destabilizing global trade, adding uncertainty, as per the ministry’s statement on Wednesday.
Airbus pledged to expand its operations in China and strengthen China-France and China-Europe trade relations, the ministry noted. Airbus declined to provide details of the meeting.
Industry insiders mentioned that the consecutive line-opening events in Mobile and Tianjin were planned carefully to navigate the sensitive trade climate between China and the United States.
Since announcing its overseas expansion plans in 2022 and 2023, Airbus has faced the challenge of avoiding tensions amid the ongoing trade war between Washington and Beijing, which has concerned Airbus and other European companies.
