Airbus to produce A321 aircraft in Tianjin

Airbus will produce and deliver the A321 single-aisle aircraft in China by expanding its Final Assembly Line Asia in Tianjin (FAL Tianjin), Airbus China said on Friday.

Airbus and its Chinese partners have recently signed a framework agreement on expanding and upgrading the production capacity of the FAL Tianjin, enabling the current A320 family assembly facilities to produce A321 aircraft, Airbus China said.

Work is scheduled to begin in July 2022 and will include the expansion of the plant, the upgrading of facilities and tools, and professional training. The new work will not affect the production rate of FAL Tianjin.

The move aims to meet global market demand for the A321 series single-aisle aircraft, particularly from the Chinese market. It marks significant progress between Airbus and China in expanding industrial and supply chain cooperation," said Michel Tran Van, chief operating officer of Airbus China.

Airbus has four A320 family assembly facilities worldwide, in Toulouse in France, Hamburg in Germany, Tianjin in China, and Alabama in the United States. The facilities in Hamburg and Mobile, Alabama, are capable of producing A321 aircraft.

The European airplane maker is upgrading the industrial capabilities of these sites to meet the demand for A321 aircraft.

Airbus in 2008 inaugurated the Airbus A320 family final assembly line in north China's Tianjin. By the end of 2020, Airbus had assembled and delivered more than 500 commercial aircraft from the facility.

Airbus delivered a total of 99 commercial aircraft to China in 2020, representing 17.5 percent of its annual global deliveries, according to Airbus China.