Airbus has delivered its 100th A320 family aircraft, assembled at its final assembly line in Tianjin, to Air China.
This delivery comes three years after the first aircraft assembled in China was delivered in June 2009. To date, 11 Chinese airlines and leasing companies have received aircraft from the Tianjin line.
In December, low-cost carrier AirAsia will be the first non-Chinese operator to receive an aircraft from the Tianjin line, through a Chinese leasing company.
The A320, powered by IAE V2500 engines, will be deployed on domestic services from Shanghai. The aircraft is configured in two classes, with eight business class and 150 economy class seats.
Last month, Airbus also inked a framework agreement with state-owned airframer Aviation Industry Corporation of China and the Tianjin Free Trade Zone to continue manufacturing A320s in Tianjin beyond the previously agreed 2016 timeline.
The life of the assembly line is likely to be extended by a decade, with details of the agreement to be firmed by mid-2013.
Airbus chief executive Fabrice Bregier has confirmed that the Tianjin facility, Airbus's first final assembly line outside Europe, will also produce the A320neo.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
