Airbus to deliver 80 jets to China

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-09-23 16:56

BEIJING: Airbus will deliver 80 airplanes to China this year, underscoring the resilience of China's aviation market despite its taking a heavy punch during the global financial downturn.

Although the global economy is retreating, Airbus was confident of Chinese market as its major airlines generated profits during the first half of the year and a 20 percent market expansion, Airbus China President Laurence Barron said Wednesday at the 13th Beijing International Aviation Exposition.

Besides jet manufacture, Airbus was willing to widen cooperation with China in the fields of logistics, on-board communications system, air traffic control and air financial services, he said.

Airbus' Chinese partners are six aircraft makers including the Xi'an Aircraft Industry (XAC) which will deliver the first set of fully equipped wings to Airbus' A320 aircraft final assembly line in north China's Tianjin in the first quarter of next year.

Besides jet manufacture, Airbus was willing to widen cooperation with China in the fields of logistics, on-board communications systems, air traffic control and air financial services, he said.

China has 514 Airbus planes in service, or 41 percent of its total fleet of large commercial jets, of which 82 percent are A320s, according to Airbus.

Last year, Airbus handed over 73 jets to China, or 15 percent of its global delivery.

China received 53 Airbus aircraft in the year ending August 31.

In August, China's total air traffic turnover grew 7.4 percent from the previous month and 30.6 percent from a year ago, according to data released by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

As of September 12, the country's civil aviation industry had realized a profit of 8 billion yuan (1.17 billion U.S. dollars) for 2009, said the CAAC.