Airbus Final Assembly Line China achieves 2009 target

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Eleven A320 family aircraft delivered from Tianjin on schedule and on quality

16  December  2009

The Airbus A320 Family Final Assembly Line China (FALC) has achieved its 2009 target as the 11th A320 Family aircraft assembled by the FALC was delivered to Deer Air, an airline part of the HNA Group, on 16th December in Tianjin.

The first A320 assembled by the FALC was delivered to Sichuan Airlines via Dragon Aviation Leasing on 23rd June 2009. Since then, a total of six A320 and five A319 assembled by the FALC have been delivered and are now in operation with Sichuan Airlines, Deer Air, Shenzhen Airlines and China Eastern Airlines.

"We are very proud to have achieved our target in the first year of operation, on schedule and on quality. When we started operations in August 2008, we had two challenges: deliver Airbus quality from Tianjin and ensure a smooth ramp up of production. Both objectives were reached thanks to our Chinese partners' daily commitment as well as Airbus' active support at all levels. The success achieved in FALC is definitely a way forward for the continuous industrial cooperation between Airbus and China," said Laurence Barron, Airbus China President.

"This is a significant step for the development of FALC and is the result of the joint-efforts made by the Chinese and the European partners. FALC is an excellent example of the cooperation between the Chinese aviation industry and the rest of the world. FALC is a driving force for the development of the Aviation Industrial Base in Tianjin", said Zhao Haishan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Airbus (Tianjin) Final Assembly Company Ltd.

The A320 Family, which includes the A318, A319, A320 and A321, is recognized as the benchmark single-aisle aircraft family. Each aircraft features fly–by-wire controls and all share a unique cockpit and operational commonality across the range. More than 6,400 Airbus A320 Family aircraft have been sold to 221 customers worldwide, making it the world's best-selling commercial jetliner ever. With proven reliability and extended servicing periods, the A320 Family has the lowest operating costs of any single-aisle aircraft. Uniquely, the A320 Family offers a containerized cargo system, which is compatible with the world wide standard wide-body system.

By the end of November 2009, 442 A320 Family aircraft are in operation with 12 operators in China. Chinese airlines have ordered close to 600 A320 Family aircraft in total.

Notes to the editors

About FALC

The Airbus A320 Family Final Assembly Line China (FALC) in Tianjin is the third single-aisle aircraft final assembly line location of Airbus worldwide, after Toulouse and Hamburg. It is also the first Airbus final assembly line outside Europe. Based on the latest state-of-the-art Airbus single-aisle Final Assembly Line in Hamburg, Germany, FALC will assembly A320 and A319 aircraft. The FALC is a joint venture between Airbus and a Chinese consortium comprising Tianjin Free Trade Zone (TJFTZ) and China Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC). Airbus and the Chinese Consortium respectively hold 51 per cent and 49 per cent of the shares of the joint venture. FALC started work in August 2008. Eleven A319 and A320 aircraft are scheduled for delivery in Tianjin in 2009 and the FALC production rate will be ramped up to four aircraft per month by the end of 2011.