Airbus has announced that the final production stages of Airbus’s wide-body aircraft A330 will be completed in North China’s city of Tianjin. This will be the first time for such a wide-body aircraft to be finished off outside Europe.

According to a Letter of Intent (LoI) signed by Airbus Group, Tianjin Free Trade Zone (TJFTZ), and the Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC), the A330 Completion and Delivery Center in Tianjin (C&DC Tianjin) will likely cover activities such as cabin installation, aircraft painting, engine runs, and aircraft delivery.

The aircraft would first be assembled in France’s Toulouse and then fly to Tianjin for cabin installation and aircraft painting.

This follows on from the successful establishment of an A320 family final assembly line by Airbus Group, TJFTZ, and AVIC and takes into account the need to support the fast growth of air traffic in China with wide-body aircraft. This assembly line in Tianjin has already completed and delivered more than 190 A319 and A320 aircrafts.

“China imported its first Airbus aircraft in 1985. In its 30 year history, the Airbus partnership with China keeps on growing and expanding,” said Fabrice Bregier, Airbus President and Chief Executive Officer.

“Airbus and its Chinese partners have achieved great results from this cooperation. The intended establishment of an A330 Completion and Delivery Center will open a new and exciting chapter for our longstanding track record of mutual achievements,” he added.

At present, the in-service Airbus fleet with Chinese operators comprises over 1,000 aircraft (around 140 A330-family and over 920 A320-family aircraft). In the 20 year period from 2014 to 2033, Airbus forecasts a demand in China for more than 5,300 new commercial aircraft of over 100 seats plus freighters.

The A330 Family, which contains 250 to 300 seats, has now attracted more than 1,300 orders, with over 1,000 aircraft flying today with more than 100 operators worldwide. The A330 is one of the world’s most efficient wide-bodied twin-engine aircraft with best-in-class operating economics and an average dispatch reliability well above 99 percent.