Airbus inks manufacturing JV

China- Airbus has announced the signing of a contract with a group of Chinese industrial partners to establish a joint venture manufacturing centre in Harbin, China.

The new facility will manufacture composite material parts and components for the Airbus A350 XWB programme and Airbus A320 Family aircraft.

The contract was signed by Laurence Barron, president of Airbus China, and Pang Jian, chairman of the board of directors of HAIG and HAI in Madrid, Spain.

The four industrial partners collaborating with Airbus on this project are Harbin Aircraft Industry Group Company Limited (HAIG), Hafei Aviation Industry Company Limited (HAI), Avichina Industry & Technology Company Limited (AVICHINA) and Harbin Development Zone Heli Infrastructure Development Company Limited (HELI).

According to Airbus, the Harbin Hafei Airbus Composite Manufacturing Centre Company Limited will be set up in 2009. HAIG will hold a 50% stake, Airbus China will hold 20%, while HAI, AVICHINA and HELI will each hold a 10% stake. Manufacturing operations are expected to start in September 2009 and a new plant should be operational ready by the end of 2010.

"[The joint venture] is based on our confidence in the future economic growth of China and in the future development of the Chinese aviation industry together with Airbus. We will further promote and expand our strategic cooperation," said Pang.

Barron said, "The joint venture is another step forward in our cooperation with Hafei, as Hafei was one of the founding members of our Airbus Engineering Centre in Beijing. We are very confident in the prospects for our joint venture with our Chinese partners in Harbin," he added.