Airbus has signed an MoU with the National Development and Reform Commission of China (NDRC) on the further development of industrial cooperation in Tianjin.
On the occasion of the state visit to China by French President Emmanuel Macron, Airbus has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Development and Reform Commission of China (NDRC) on the further development of industrial cooperation in Tianjin.
The agreement was signed in Beijing on 9th January by NDRC chairman He Lifeng, Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of China and Fabrice Brégier, Airbus COO and President Commercial Aircraft in the presence of Macron and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Both sides have agreed to further enhance their industrial partnership in Tianjin and strengthen cooperation with regards to technical innovation, engineering capabilities and supply chain expansion.
Airbus and its Chinese partners have also signed a framework agreement on ramping up the A320 production rate at the Final Assembly Line in Tianjin to six aircraft per month.
This industrial ramp-up targets five aircraft per month by early 2019 and six per month by early 2020. Since its inauguration in 2008, the Final Assembly Line in Tianjin had assembled a total of 354 A320 Family aircraft as of 31st December 2017. The first A320neo was delivered in the second half of 2017.
Airbus says that the total value of industrial cooperation between Airbus and the Chinese aviation industry in 2017 amounted to nearly $600m.
According to media reports, Macron also announced an upcoming order for 184 A320s.