Since the northern Chinese city of Tianjin was selected as Airbus China's A320 assembly plant, it has become a focus of news both at home and abroad. The plant will be Airbus' third final-assembly factory and the first one located outside of Europe.

Foreign media have reported the cooperation between China and Airbus as being very significant. Winning the contract is big stride forward for China in terms of manufacturing large aircraft. It also represents further progress in the pursuit of overall technology cooperation between China and the world. The assembly line will provide opportunities for economic growth around the Bohai Sea, especially for the Binhai New Area in Tianjin which the central government has declared a modern manufacturing and research base.

The Tianjin factory is a significant step forward in China's plan to produce large aircraft. The assembly line will promote China's innovation in aircraft manufacturing, improve technology and allow the country to move closer to its goal of whole aircraft production. The A320 series assembly line will allow China to train a group of highly skilled aviation engineers and technicians, who can later assist in the development of China's own large aircraft production. Since the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, the country has manufactured Y7s, MA60s, Y8s and other civilian planes and from 2002, China has been researching regional aircraft as part of a new strategy to enter the international aviation market. China hopes to realize its goal by developing its aviation industry in two stages, starting with the manufacture of parts and eventually moving to whole aircraft production. The Airbus project will involve workers from more than 70 fields and disciplines, drive the growth of aviation-related sectors and boost the economy around the Bohai Sea.

The A320 series assembly line, which is to begin operations at the end of this year, will produce 4 jets in a month and 44 in a year by 2010. The assembly line is predicted to cost 5 billion yuan and the whole project could cost between 8 and 10 billion yuan. The first batch of 300 A320 jets will be sold to the domestic market and will make their maiden flights in 2008.

The whole project is divided into four parts: assembling, painting and adjusting the planes as well conducting trial flights. Some 1000 workers, 400 management staff and 600 senior technicians will participate in the production of the A320s. Manufacturers in Tianjin will be major investors and once the location of the plan has been decided, they will begin to submit tenders for the various areas of production. It will be a joint venture between Airbus and local Chinese manufacturers.

The Airbus assembly line is a great opportunity for cooperation and collaboration with a world renowned foreign company and it will increase opportunities for Chinese aviation innovation.

By People's Daily Online