Duan Chunhua, vice mayor Tianjin, Lin Nianxiu, vice mayor‎ NDRC, Fabrice Brégier, Airbus president, and Lin Zuoming, chairman of AVIC, celebrate the opening

Airbus has taken additional steps in the expansion of its global footprint and its strategic partnership with China as construction gets underway for the Airbus A330 Completion and Delivery Centre in Tianjin, China.

The A330 centre will be co-located at the same site as the Airbus Tianjin A320 Family Final Assembly Line and the Airbus Tianjin Delivery Centre.

“The ground breaking ceremony for the A330 centre in Tianjin marks a new milestone for Airbus’ international footprint and underlines the strong cooperation with our Chinese partners,” said Fabrice Brégier, Airbus president.

“This event is significant because the A330 centre in Tianjin is our first completion and delivery centre for wide-body aircraft outside Europe.

“Airbus’ long-standing cooperation with China spans single aisle and now also wide-body aircraft and we will continue to look for further opportunities in the future.”

In summer 2014, Airbus, Tianjin Free Trade Zone and Aviation Industry Corporation of China signed a framework agreement on setting up an A330 centre in Tianjin.

The A330 centre Tianjin will cover the aircraft completion activities including cabin installation, aircraft painting and flight test, as well as aircraft delivery and customer flight acceptance.

The A330 Family aircraft to be completed at the A330 centre Tianjin will be assembled in Toulouse while painting and cabin fitting will be performed in Tianjin.