Airbus wing work going to China

An agreement signed in London yesterday (2 February) by Airbus’ Brian Fleet and Mr Meng Xiangkai, President of the Chinese company XAC related to a wing equipping programme for the A320 family of aircraft. Currently, wingbox structures assembled by XAC in China are completed at Airbus' site at Broughton, before being transported to the Final Assembly Line back in China. Now, the wing equipping and testing will be done in Tianjin in a facility to be newly built close to the A320 final assembly line by XAC, a wholly owned subsidiary of China Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC). Wing equipping operations are expected to start at the end of 2009, followed by the first delivery of a fully equipped set of wings in the first quarter of 2010. "With this project, Airbus is fulfilling its support to the co-operation agreement regarding A320 China wing manufacture," said Brian Fleet. "Having this facility so close to the FALC is the most efficient industrial solution. It will save transportation costs, reduce lead-time and risks in handling, and ensures quicker response time to our customers."