Erik Buschmann (L), chief operating officer of Airbus China, Yannick Malinge (C), head of aviation safety governance of Airbus, and George Xu, Airbus executive vice president and CEO of Airbus China, attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony of Airbus's first safety promotion center in China, in Tianjin, north China, Dec. 3, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus opened its first safety promotion center in China on Tuesday at its facilities in the northern port city of Tianjin, part of the company's global efforts to strengthen safety culture within the organization and improve safety awareness throughout the industry.

"Many domestic and international partners often come to Tianjin. The center will help us enhance the understanding of the importance of aviation safety and effectively implement aviation safety measures in practice," said George Xu, Airbus executive vice president and Airbus China CEO.

This year, Airbus has continued to deepen its industrial footprint in China and upgraded its industrial facilities in the country, with a focus on resilience, especially in Tianjin. Its efforts to increase production capacity to meet the booming market demand have demonstrated its long-term commitment to China.

Last month, Airbus signed several cooperation agreements with its partners at the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition held in the city of Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, covering customer service, sustainable development, innovation, industrial cooperation and helicopters.

"Aviation, connecting people and cargo, is a tool to promote exchanges among countries, which relies very much on free trade. We always believe that free trade is an important engine to propel the prosperous development of countries. We hope that in the future, free trade can make even bigger progress," Xu said, noting that the series of products and solutions from Airbus has showcased the cooperation between China and Europe.

As of October 2024, Airbus Tianjin has delivered over 750 A320 Family aircraft, 16 A330 aircraft and 24 A350 aircraft since 2008.

Airbus has said that about a third of its aircraft operated by Chinese mainland airlines are delivered from Airbus Tianjin.

In the next two decades, China will need over 9,500 new passenger and freighter aircraft, accounting for over 20 percent of global demand, according to Airbus' latest global market forecast.

In order to meet the growing demand, the construction of the second A320 Family Final Assembly Line (FAL) at Airbus Tianjin is well underway, having commenced in September 2023.

The second FAL is expected to be put into operation by the beginning of 2026. By then, Airbus will have a global production network of 10 FALs, two of which will be in Tianjin, demonstrating the company's determination to expand its presence in China.

"After FAL 2 goes into operation, Airbus will greatly enhance its cooperation with China in the areas of wings and fuselage equipping," Xu said.

Wings produced by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China Xi'an Aircraft International (Tianjin) Corporation (AVIC XAT), which is located near the Airbus Tianjin A320 Family FAL, can be delivered directly to the FAL, reducing transportation time by at least 60 days when compared to shipment from the UK by sea.

This October, AVIC XAT was awarded the Ramp-up Champion Award during the 2024 Airbus Global Supplier Conference. Despite a tight global supply chain, AVIC XAT has delivered high-quality wings for the A320 Family in an efficient and timely manner, providing strong support for Airbus' global civil aircraft production rate increase.

During the exhibition, Airbus and AVIC XAT signed a procurement contract to expand cooperation to include the A321 model, in addition to existing cooperation on the A320.

In 2024, Airbus signed cooperation agreements with several Chinese or foreign suppliers with facilities in China, covering items from the upstream of raw materials to the lower stream of equipment, in an effort to expand its supply chain in China.

"The Chinese supply chain is an integral part of the global aviation industry, showing great resilience and competitiveness," Xu said. At present, approximately 200 suppliers in China support the production of Airbus' commercial aircraft.

The company's industrial chain in China is playing an increasingly important role in propelling the global aviation industry. In recent years, aircraft assembled at the Airbus Tianjin A320 Family FAL have been delivered to airlines across Europe and Asia.

"As a long-term reliable partner of the Chinese aviation industry, Airbus is committed to continuously expanding its industrial footprint and promoting common progress across the entire industrial chain in the country for enhanced resilience and competitiveness. Airbus will continue to become an outstanding multinational enterprise in China, contribute to the high-quality development of China's aviation industry, and make positive contributions to the global aviation industry," Xu said.