One of China's leading aircraft manufacturers signed a framework contract
with Airbus yesterday to jointly produce aircraft composite material parts and
components.
Harbin Aircraft Industry Group Company Limited agreed with the European
aircraft manufacturer to form a joint venture manufacturing Center in Harbin at
the on-going week-long Farnborough Airshow.
The contract was signed by Laurence Barron, President of Airbus China, and
Pang Jian, Chairman of the Board of Directors of HAIG, a company under China
Aviation Industry Corporation II.
The manufacturing center, to be set up in early 2009, will be an equity joint
venture enterprise, with HAIG holding 80 percent stake and Airbus China owning
20 percent.
Under the contract, the manufacturing center will manufacture composite
materials parts and components for the Airbus A320 Family and participate in the
industrialization and serial production of Airbus A350 XWB work-packages.
"The establishment of the joint venture manufacturing center marks another
important milestone for the relationship between HAIG and Airbus," said Pang
Jian.
The new manufacturing center will further enhance the strategic cooperation
between Airbus and HAIG, already a qualified supplier for Airbus and one of the
shareholders of Airbus (Beijing) Engineering Center, the Harbin company chief
added.
"This project demonstrates once again Airbus' commitment to the long term
sustainable development of China's aviation industry," said Laurence Barron,
President of Airbus China.
On Nov. 26, 2007, Airbus signed a memorandum of understanding with the
National Development and Reform Commission of China to formalize the commitment
of allocating 5 percent of the A350 XWB airframe to the Chinese aviation
industry.