A fuselage section of an A320 aircraft awaiting final assembly at the second Final Assembly Line of Airbus in North China's Tianjin on October 22, 2025 Photo: Tu Lei/GT

 

EU plane manufacturer Airbus opened its second Final Assembly Line (FAL) for the A320 Family aircraft in North China's Tianjin on Wednesday, and the company said the new facility is expected to be fully operational by early 2026.

Airbus forecasts that demand for aircraft in the Chinese market over the next 20 years will reach 9,500 units, accounting for approximately 20 percent of global market demand. While optimistic about the Chinese market, Airbus also faces market competition from China's indigenously developed C919 passenger aircraft.

Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury stated that the C919's entry into the market is a fact, and Airbus respects every competitor and will actively respond to the competition.

The domestically produced large aircraft C919 celebrated the second anniversary of its commercial operation in May this year. Over the past two years, C919-operated new routes have continuously been launched. A total of 18 C919 aircraft from Air China, China Eastern Airlines, and China Southern Airlines have been put into commercial operation, serving over 20 commercial routes, with the route network covering 16 cities in China.

"There's a new competitor entering into the market and we have to be very respectful of competition, especially here in China," said Faury, adding that COMAC is obviously a product of China even if they are procuring a lot of European, American, Asian parts and components "a bit like what we are doing."

"We take them seriously and we will compete as we do with Boeing and trying to actually focus on our customers." Faury added. 

Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury delivers a speech at the inauguration ceremony of Airbus Tianjin 2nd A320 Family Final Assembly Line in North China's Tianjin on October 22, 2025. Photo: Tu Lei/GT

Beyond competition, Airbus is also engaged in close cooperation with Chinese aviation manufacturing enterprises.

"Airbus's latest aircraft model is the A220 series, and the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) is an important partner for Airbus in this program," Faury said. 

AVIC is responsible for manufacturing part of the fuselage, which is undoubtedly one of the core components of the aircraft and crucial to the success of the model. This cooperation fully demonstrates the maturity and development of China's civil aviation industry. Additionally, AVIC is also involved in the Airbus A350 wide-body aircraft program, according to Airbus. 

"Every time I come to Beijing, I make time to meet with the leadership of AVIC. This kind of exchange between Airbus and AVIC started as early as 1998. Both sides have established a long-term and stable cooperative relationship. Today, the scope of cooperation is extremely broad, covering multiple project areas and business levels, with the number and scale of cooperative projects continuously expanding," Faury said. 

He said that the good cooperative relationship between Airbus and AVIC is reflected not only in jointly overcoming difficulties and innovating solutions but also in the firm commitment both sides have to the cooperation.

Inaugurated in 2008, the Airbus Tianjin FAL was the first Airbus production line for commercial aircraft outside Europe. It has assembled and delivered 780 A320 Family aircraft since then, making the facility a symbol of successful China-Europe cooperation. 

The year 2025 marks the 40th anniversary of cooperation between Airbus and China's civil aviation sector, when the first Airbus aircraft - an A310 - was delivered back in 1985. 

The new line will enable Airbus to significantly increase production close to its customers in China and beyond. It complements the global Airbus production network of 10 FALs - four in Hamburg (Germany), two in Toulouse (France), two in Mobile (the US) and two in Tianjin (China).