Airbus signs a joint venture contract to establish a manufacturing centre for aircraft composite parts in Harbin, China

Airbus and a group of Chinese industrial partners today signed a contract to establish a Joint Venture Manufacturing Centre in Harbin, China to manufacture composite material parts and components for the Airbus A350 XWB programme and Airbus A320 Family aircraft.

The Chinese partners are Harbin Aircraft Industry Group Company Limited (HAIG), Hafei Aviation Industry Company Limited (HAI), Avichina Industry & Technology Company Limited (AVICHINA) and Harbin Development Zone Heli Infrastructure Development Company Limited (HELI).

The contract was signed by Laurence Barron, President of Airbus China, and Pang Jian, Chairman of the Board of Directors of HAIG and HAI in Madrid, Spain in the presence of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.

The Harbin Hafei Airbus Composite Manufacturing Centre Company Limited (the Manufacturing Centre) will be set up in 2009. HAIG will hold a 50 per cent stake, Airbus China will hold 20 per cent, while HAI, AVICHINA and HELI will each hold a ten per cent stake. Manufacturing operations are expected to start in September 2009 and a new plant should be ready for operations by the end of 2010.

The Manufacturing Centre will produce major components for the A350 XWB programme, as part of Airbus' target of manufacturing five per cent of the A350 XWB airframe in China. These components will be manufactured using the latest composite manufacturing technology based on Airbus standards and processes.

"The signing of the joint venture contract marks a historical breakthrough for the relationship between HAIG / HAI and Airbus," said Pang Jian. "HAIG / HAI and Airbus have become risk sharing partners. We will share the profits of the joint venture and will jointly meet the challenges caused by global economic slowdown. Today's signature is a joint response of the Chinese partners and Airbus to these challenges. It is based on our confidence in the future economic growth of China and in the future development of the Chinese aviation industry together with Airbus. We will further promote and expand our strategic cooperation, " he added.

"This project demonstrates once again Airbus' long term commitment to the sustainable development of China's aviation industry," said Laurence Barron, President of Airbus China. "The joint venture is another step forward in our cooperation with Hafei, as Hafei was one of the founding members of our Airbus Engineering Centre in Beijing. We are very confident in the prospects for our joint venture with our Chinese partners in Harbin," he added.

Airbus is committed to forging a long-term strategic partnership with China. The total value of industrial cooperation between Airbus and the Chinese aviation industry is expected to be near 200 million dollars per year in 2010 and 450 million dollars per year in 2015.

Airbus is an EADS company.