Airbus presence in China growing

Airbus said its in-service fleet in China has grown by more than 20% annually over the past decade. More than 630 Airbus jetliners are in operation with 12 Chinese carriers – representing 43% of the country’s passenger aircraft with capacity of over 100 seats.
Orders from Chinese customers currently stand at 738 aircraft, which include 596 A320 Family jetliners and five A380s. In 2010, Airbus signed agreements for 77 new aircraft, including 59 A320 Family aircraft, 10 A350 XWBs and eight A330s; while delivering 93 airliners.
The new generation is represented by the Airbus A380. The first Chinese customer for this jetliner is China Southern Airlines, which ordered five of the double-deck aircraft in 2005. Deliveries are scheduled to begin during 2011.
News on News reports that Airbus has an A320 final assembly line in Tianjin, which has so far delivered a total of 33 aircraft – 11 in 2009 and 22 so far in 2010.