Airbus to increase production of A320 aircraft in China

European aviation giant Airbus signed a framework agreement with its Chinese partners on Tuesday to increase the number of planes it makes at its Tianjin assembly plant.

An Airbus A320 jet plane of China Eastern Airlines takes off at the Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport in Dalian city, northeast China's Liaoning province, 3 December 2017. [Photo: IC]

According to a statement released by Airbus China, Airbus aims to produce five aircraft a month by early 2019 before reaching a monthly total of six jets by early 2020 at the Tianjin final assembly line for the A320-family of jets.

Currently, it produces four A320 aircraft a month at the facility. From the time it was established in 2008 until the end of 2017, the Tianjin plant assembled and delivered a total of 354 A320s.

Also on Tuesday, Airbus signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Development and Reform Commission of China.

Both sides promised to strengthen industrial cooperation in Tianjin with regards to technical innovation, engineering capabilities and supply chain expansion.