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THIS WEEK

8 | Flight International | 8-14 March 2016 flightglobal.com

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A

irbus has broken ground on

its Chinese A330 completion

and delivery centre in Tianjin,

which is due to make its first de-

livery in September 2017.

The facility, which will have

three aircraft positions, will be

located on the same site as the

manufacturer’s A320 final assem-

bly line and delivery centre in the

Tianjin Free Trade Zone.

“This event is significant be-

cause [it] is our first completion

and delivery centre for widebody

aircraft outside Europe,” Airbus

chief executive Fabrice Brégier

said during the ground breaking

ceremony on 2 March. “Airbus’s

long-standing co-operation with

China spans single aisle and now

also widebody aircraft, and we

continue to look for further oppor-

tunities in the future.”

The new widebody facility

will have the capability to per-

form cabin installation, aircraft

painting and flight testing, as well

as aircraft delivery. Assembled

aircraft will be flown from Tou-

louse to Tianjin, with the majori-

ty of the completed jets to go to

Chinese customers.

SCHEDULE

The centre will deliver its first

aircraft by September 2017 and

have a completion rate of one air-

craft per month in its first year of

operation. Thereafter, this will be

raised to two per month.

Airbus intends to extend the

line to complete and deliver the

A330neo and the A350 in future.

The framework agreement to

set up the widebody completion

and delivery centre was signed in

mid-2014 between Airbus and its

Chinese partners – Tianjin Free

Trade Zone and AVIC.

Airbus says its latest co-opera-

tion with China “perfectly sup-

ports” its forecast for air traffic in

the nation. This is set to grow at

above the world average of

4.6%, driven by the rise of the

Chinese middle class and ex-

panding outbound tourism. The

manufacturer expects a demand

for 5,400 aircraft in China over

the next 20 years. ■

O

perating earnings for Em-

braer fell by 21.8% to $

million in 2015, due to a sharp

fall in defence segment revenues

and a one-time impairment

charge linked to a bankruptcy fil-

ing by Republic Airways.

Overall revenues declined by

5.7% compared with 2014 be-

cause of lower defence volume.

Net income dropped to $81 mil-

lion in 2015, from nearly $

million the previous year.

Although Republic Airways

filed for bankruptcy on 25 Febru-

ary, Embraer included a near-$

million impairment charge in its

fourth quarter results to cover any

losses from the regional carrier’s

court-ordered restructuring.

Republic is the largest operator

of Embraer jets in the world, with

a fleet 50 ERJ-145s and 180 E-Jets.

The Indianapolis-based carrier

also has orders for 24 more Em-

braer 175s, with deliveries sched-

uled in 2016 and 2017.

Overall sales were flat in the

fourth quarter, rising by nearly

$29 million year-on-year, to $2.

billion. Embraer ended 2015 with

a firm order backlog of 513 com-

mercial aircraft, including 267

orders for the E-Jet-E2 family. ■

PRODUCTION

Chinese A320 output is ready to climb

The production rate on Airbus’s

A320 final assembly line in Tianjin

could be increased, as the airframer

gears up to raise global output pro-

duction for the narrowbody to 60

units per month by mid-2019.

Speaking in Beijing, Airbus China

president Eric Chen said that the

Final Assembly Line China (FALC)

facility currently produces four

aircraft per month, and delivered 50

in 2015.

“The FALC is part of the produc-

tion chain, so when we increase pro-

duction rate up to 60, we do not

exclude the possibility of increasing

production at Tianjin,” he says.

Andreas Ockel, general manager

for the final assembly line, says the

facility could produce more than four

aircraft per month without new infra-

structure. “Without issue we can

increase capacity by 50%, to about

six aircraft a month,” he says.

The Tianjin facility is scheduled to

deliver its first A320neo in June

2017. Ockel says the “impact on
      infrastructure is low”, as the re-en-
      gined type retains 95% commonality
      with its predecessor. ■

FACILITY MAVIS TOH TIANJIN

Tianjin starts widebody preparations

Work begins on Chinese centre for A330 cabin installations, with deliveries due to commence from September 2017

“Airbus’s long-

standing co-operation

with China spans

single aisle and now

widebody aircraft”

FABRICE BRÉGIER

Chief executive, Airbus

Republic bankruptcy provision hits Embraer results

EARNINGS STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC

American Eagle-branded E-Jets are operated by Republic Airlines

AirTeamImages

AirTeamImages

Most of the jets completed at the facility will be sold into China

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