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Airbus delivers first A350 from Tianjin centre to China Eastern
European aircraft maker marks another milestone in long-term partnership with China
Michael Marray 27 Jul 2021

Airbus has delivered the first A350 from its widebody completion and delivery centre (C&DC) in Tianjin, taking an additional step in the expansion of its global footprint and long-term strategic partnership with China. The A350-900 aircraft was delivered to China Eastern Airlines, the largest Airbus operator in Asia and second largest in the world.

Located at the same site as the Airbus Tianjin A320 Family Final Assembly Line and the Airbus Tianjin Delivery Centre, the widebody C&DC covers the aircraft completion activities, including cabin installation, aircraft painting and production flight test, as well as customer flight acceptance and aircraft delivery.

The centre was inaugurated in September 2017 with its capability on A330s. Then, during the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to China in 2019, a memorandum of understanding on the further development of industrial cooperation was signed in Beijing by He Lifeng, chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of China, and Guillaume Faury, Airbus chief executive officer, who announced that the C&DC would extend its capability to A350 aircraft.

“This is a new milestone in the long-term cooperation between China and Airbus, which further demonstrates Airbus’ commitment to the country," said George Xu, Airbus executive vice president and Airbus China CEO.

The A350 features a carbon-fibre fuselage and wings, plus new fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce engines, which help achieve a 25% reduction in fuel burn and carbon dioxide emissions.

The structural and final assembly of the A350 is carried out at various Airbus factories in Germany, France and Spain, with the wings delivered from the Airbus plant in Broughton in the United Kingdom. The basic aircraft can then be flown to Tianjin for the interior to be completed, plus the airline livery external paint work.

At the end of June 2021, China Eastern Airlines operated an Airbus fleet of 413 aircraft, including 349 A320 Family aircraft, 55 A330 Family aircraft, and nine A350 aircraft.

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