Airbus Updates No.2901

 

Airbus A319	-111	763		CS-TTC	TAP Air Portugal	ferried 28oct20 LIS-DGX, for part-out & scrap	ex D-AVYS
Airbus A319	-112	1102		OO-SSD	Brussels Airlines	ferried 29oct20 BRU-LDE on return to lessor	ex EI-DEY
Airbus A319	-112	3406		OK-NEM	CSA Czech Airlines	ferried 30oct20 PRG-DGX, for part-out & scrap	ex D-AVYB
Airbus A319	-111	4635		G-EZGF	easyJet	ferried 3oct20 DGX-LGW after storage	ex D-AVWO
Airbus A320	-211	127		C-FDST	Air Canada	ferried 24oct20 MCI-GWO, for part-out &s scrap	ex F-WWIV
Airbus A320	-214	2217		EI-DEC	Aer Lingus	at DUB 29oct20, basic new cs prior retun to lessor	ex F-WWBH
Airbus A320	-232	3414		OE-IDJ	Allco Leasing	on air-test at CGK 30oct20 prior delivery to?	ex VT-INQ
Airbus A320	-214	3601		OE-IRH	Avolon Aerospace	regd 27oct20, parked at CTU	ex B-6608
Airbus A320	-214	4161		D-AEUE	Eurowings	ferried 29oct20 SOF-PGF for onward storage	ex OE-LOC
Airbus A320	-232	4630		OE-IEP	Avolon Aerospace	regd 29oct20 at SNN, Fly One cs	ex VT-IED
Airbus A320	-232	6278		OE-IRU	Air Lease Corp	seen regd at OSR 28oct20, all white	ex VT-TTC
Airbus A320	-214	8222		B-1095	Chengdu Airlines	delivery 30oct20 TSN-CTU	ex B-000A
Airbus A320	-271N	9573		B-30FP	Shenzhen Airlines	delivery 30oct20 TSN-SZX	ex B-007L
Airbus A320	-271N	9578		B-30FC	Juneyao Airlines	onward delivery 28oct20 TSN-PVG	ex B-005J
Airbus A320	-251N	10081		B-30FX	China Southern	ceremonial delivery at TSN 29oct20, 500th China produced A320	ex B-007W
Airbus A321	-231	963		N668SD	Sine Draco	ferried 28oct20 GR-TUS prior freighter conversion	ex TC-AGI
Airbus A321	-253N	7694		LZ-HEH	Holiday Europe	re-regd 26oct20 at ISL on transfer (+ 8085 LZ-HEI ex TC-OEE)	ex TC-OED
Airbus A321	-253NX	9008		B-30E8	Chongqing Airlines	delivery 30oct20 XFW-NQZ	ex D-AVYM
Airbus A321	-271N	9335		B-30CS	Sichuan Airlines	onward delivery 28oct20 TSN-CTU	e B-005G
Airbus A321	-271NX	9567		TC-LTA	Turkish Airlines	delivery 28oct20 XFW-IST	ex D-AVZP

credit : skyliner

Airbus Updates No.2899

 

Airbus’ China Final Assembly Line Has Now Delivered 500 A320s

Number 500 of the A320 family aircraft left Airbus’ final assembly line in Tianjin, China, on Thursday. The manufacturer’s first such facility outside of Europe has sent the milestone aircraft off to China Southern Airlines. As a result of the ongoing crisis, Airbus delivered only 14 jets to China in the first half of 2020.

The final assembly line in Airbus’ Tianjin facility has just completed A320 number 500. Photo: Airbus

A320neo on its way to China Southern

Airbus’ first final assembly line outside of Europe has now delivered 500 aircraft from its A320 narrowbody family. The plane in question is an A320neo headed to China Southern Airlines. It will be the carrier’s 35th A320neo and its 141st of the A320 family.

According to China.org, the CEO of Airbus China, George Xu, said that the delivery marked a milestone in industrial cooperation between Airbus and China’s aviation industry.

Airbus’ facility is located in Tianjin, the fourth largest city in China by population (after Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou) with an estimated population of 15,621,200. It is one of Airbus’ four global final assembly lines for the A320 family. The others are located in Toulouse, France; Hamburg, Germany; and Mobile, Alabama.

Production began at the plant in September 2008, and the first jetliner from the Tianjin assembly line was completed and delivered in 2009.

The 500th narrowbody aircraft out of the Tianjin FAL goes to China Southern. Photo: Iasta29 via Wikimedia Commons

Brake and subsequent slowing of production

The 500 milestone should actually have arrived sooner, had all gone according to schedule. However, due to the outbreak of the pandemic in China earlier this year, the manufacturer closed down operations in Tianjin. Production came to a halt on the 5th of February, only to reopen a week later at lesser capacity to comply with government regulations. As a result, Airbus delivered only 14 aircraft to China in the first half of 2020. The original plan was for 160 planes for the whole year.

In the beginning, Airbus’ production facilities in China focused solely on narrowbodies from the A320 family. The production rate at the end of 2019 was for six single-aisle jetliners per month, accounting for almost 10% of global production. Meanwhile, in 2017, the Tianjin factory also assembled and delivered its first A330.

In 2019, China entered into a purchase agreement with Airbus worth billions of dollars. Photo: Getty Images

Billion-dollar market

When the Tianjin final assembly line was opened back in 2008, it was to provide Airbus with a production site situated within one of the world’s most rapidly expanding markets. The bet paid off. During a state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Paris in March 2019, an agreement was reached covering the purchase by Chinese airlines of 290 aircraft from the A320 family and ten A350 XWB jets. The deal was valued at $34 billion, and Airbus’ market share is pushing close to 50%.

Airbus has had an official presence in China since 1994 and to date has delivered close to 2,000 commercial jetliners to Chinese carriers. The manufacturer and its joint ventures employ over 1,900 workers in various locations across the country. Close to 800 of employees are at the Tianjin final assembly.