Airbus plans to build a new €150 million A330 completions and delivery center (C&DC) in Tianjin, China, the company announced on Thursday. Confirmation of the so-called framework agreement between Airbus and its Chinese partners—the Tianjin Free Trade Zone Investment Company and the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC)—came two days after Airbus announced that China Aviation Supplies Holding Company (CAS) had placed a firm order for 45 A330s and an MOU covering options on another 30.
The partners plan to open the A330 C&DC by the end of 2017 and eventually outfit two airplanes per month. They've chosen a location near the site of the Airbus A320 final assembly line in Tianjin, where Airbus produces four airplanes a month primarily for the Chinese market. Established in 2008, the Tianjin A320 line has produced 227 airplanes.
Under the terms of the latest agreement, Airbus will continue to assemble A330s in Toulouse and then fly the "green" aircraft to Tianjin for cabin installation, aircraft painting, engine run and flight test, as well as aircraft delivery and customer flight acceptance.
Airbus forecasts call for domestic air traffic in China to expand beyond any other market in the world within 10 years. In the 20-year period between 2014 and 2033 Airbus forecasts a demand in China for more than 5,300 new commercial passenger airliners holding more than 100 seats.
Chinese airlines now operate more than 1,150 aircraft, including more than 980 A320-family narrowbodies, over 150 A330-family widebodies and five A380s.