Aircraft

Airbus is looking at having some A350 manufacturing work done in Tianjin, the Chinese port city where it already has an A320-family assembly plant.

The aircraft-maker's VP of co-operation and partnership with China, Marc Bertiaux, told state-run China Daily "negotiations are underway between Airbus and relevant Chinese counterparts to locate part of the A350 work in Tianjin".

"It will involve a new segment within the aircraft manufacturing industry," he says, without elaborating.

Airbus announced in 2007 it aims to give China 5% of the A350 work.

Bertiaux also says Tianjin is in the running to be Airbus' logistics centre for China.

Airbus already imports A320 parts into Tianjin for its A320-assembly plant, Airbus Tianjin.

Airbus owns 51% of this company while the remaining 49% is held by a Chinese consortium comprising China Aviation Industry (AVIC) and the Tianjin Free Trade Zone.