TIANJIN - An Airbus A320 fuselage equipping project was jointly launched by Airbus and the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) on Tuesday in North China's Tianjin.

The project is the extension of Airbus' supply chain in China, marking a new milestone in industrial cooperation between Airbus and China, said the European planemaker.

"The project is a new milestone in China-Europe cooperation, and a further step forward of Airbus' localization and vertical integration here in China," said Michel Tran Van, chief operating officer of Airbus China.

He added that the project demonstrates the manufacturing capability of Chinese aviation players and Airbus' long-term commitments to China.

The Airbus A320 fuselage equipping project was undertaken by AVIC Xi'an Aircraft International (Tianjin) Corporation (AVIC XAT), a subsidiary of the AVIC Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group Co Ltd.

The first delivery is expected to be completed in the third quarter this year, reaching a monthly production capacity of equipping 6 fuselages by 2024 and meeting the production speed of Airbus Final Assembly Line in Tianjin, according to AVIC XAT.

The project will complete the fuselage assembly work of the A320 Family aircraft by installing, and thereafter testing the large fuselage parts and the internal system components, which are transported from Europe.

Professionals will install and test multiple key systems for the aircraft, such as the air conditioning, oxygen, fuel and flight control systems, in the fuselage.

The completed fuselage will be sent to the Airbus A320 Final Assembly Line Asia in Tianjin for the final assembly of the aircraft.

Airbus in 2008 inaugurated the Airbus A320 family final assembly line in China's Tianjin. By the end of 2020, Airbus had assembled and delivered more than 500 A320 series aircraft from the facility.

Starting from 2009, the AVIC XAT has begun undertaking the A320 wing equipping project.

"The newly launched A320 fuselage equipping project is a new strategic cooperation between Chinese and European aviation industry players," said Ma Yan, chairman of the AVIC XAT.

"It represents the continuously broadening range and upgrading industrial level of our collaboration," Ma added.

About 200 suppliers across China including the AVIC XAT are currently supporting almost all Airbus commercial aircraft productions, covering all life cycles of these aircraft.

Statistics from Airbus showed that the planemaker's annual industrial spending on commercial aircraft business in the Chinese market reached approximately $1 billion in 2020.

"China is an integral part of the global aviation industrial ecosystem, also an important part of Airbus' global supply chain," said Tran Van adding that Airbus is committed to deepening and expanding its cooperation with China.