Airbus delivers first A350 completed in China

It was reported on July 21 that Airbus (Tianjin, China) has delivered the first A350 from its widebody completion and delivery center in Tianjin (C&DC), China, taking additional steps in the expansion of its global footprint and long-term strategic partnership with China.

The composites-intensive A350-900 aircraft was delivered to China Eastern Airlines, said to be the largest Airbus operator in Asia and second largest in the world. 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.

“I’m proud that Airbus successfully extended the capability of the widebody C&DC in Tianjin to the A350, the latest new generation aircraft, at such a difficult time of global aviation,” says George Xu, Airbus executive vice president and Airbus China CEO. “This is a new milestone in the long-term cooperation between China and Airbus, which further demonstrates Airbus’ commitment to the country. Congratulations to China Eastern Airlines, our long-term strategic partner, for receiving the first A350 delivered from China, and I appreciate their trust in Airbus and in our products as always.”

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 center itself 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 (MoU) 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 CEO, announcing the C&DC would extend its capability to A350 aircraft.

The A350 features an aerodynamic design, a carbon fiber fuselage and wings, plus new fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce (London, U.K.) engines. Together, says Airbus, these features translate into unrivaled levels of operational efficiency with a 25% reduction in fuel burn and CO₂ emissions. The A350’s ‘Airspace by Airbus’ cabin is reported to be the quietest of any widebody aircraft and offers passengers and crews modern in-flight products for a comfortable flying experience.

Further, at the end of June 2021, the A350 Family received 915 firm orders from 49 customers worldwide, making it one of Airbus’ most successful widebody aircraft.