Airbus’ expansion plans in China reached a new milestone today as the first A350 delivery materialized from the manufacturer’s Completion and Delivery Center (C&DC) in Tianjin.
The aircraft, registration B-323H, was received by China Eastern Airlines, which operates a fleet of 413 aircraft manufactured by Airbus, making it its largest operator in Asia and the second largest in the world.
“We are proud that Airbus has successfully expanded the capacity of the C&DC in Tianjin to the A350. This is a new milestone in the long-term cooperation between China and Airbus,” said George Xu, Executive Vice President of Airbus and Chief Executive Officer of Airbus China.
The C&DC is in charge of the completion tasks of the aircraft. In this center, among other activities, the installation of the passenger cabin, the painting of the aircraft and the acceptance flight are carried out. It was inaugurated in September 2017 for the A330 family. During French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to China in 2019, it was announced that its capacity would be expanded to accommodate the A350s. It is located in the same facilities as the final assembly line for the A320 family.
