BEIJING (Reuters) – Airbus will create a new assembly line in China, doubling its capacity in the world’s second largest aviation market, while formalizing previous orders, CEO Guillaume Faury announced in Beijing on Thursday.
Both agreements were signed in front of reporters during French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to China.
The number of devices affected by the agreement formalizing the previous orders was not immediately communicated.
Last year, Airbus announced the sale of 292 planes to China, where contracts usually must be approved by the government before the planes can be delivered.
Industry sources said Airbus was continuing to negotiate new aircraft orders on the sidelines of Emmanuel Macron’s trip, but no immediate announcement is expected.
China represents up to a quarter of Airbus and Boeing deliveries annually, except in special circumstances. Beijing used to split contracts between Airbus and Boeing, but deals with the US aircraft maker have slowed due to growing tensions between Beijing and Washington.
(Report Michel Rose, Sophie Yu, Tim Hepher; Kate Entringer, edited by Jean-Stéphane Brosse)
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