Visitors check out the exhibition area showcasing advanced manufacturing chains at the fourth China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing on June 22. European planemaker Airbus is attending the ongoing expo. GUO JUNFENG/FOR CHINA DAILY
European planemaker Airbus is deepening the integration of Chinese suppliers into its global manufacturing network, highlighting the country’s strategic role as the company works to increase aircraft production worldwide.
Attending as a “chain leader” at the ongoing fourth China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing, Airbus showcased a collaborative ecosystem, bringing together 11 of its key Chinese and international suppliers spanning materials, aerostructures, manufacturing and logistics.
The company’s commitment comes as global aircraft makers race to scale up output to meet strong airline demand while navigating persistent constraints in the aerospace supply chain.
“Airbus will continue to diversify its supplier base in China and neighboring countries and build a competitive industrial ecosystem,” John Harrison, Airbus’ general counsel and head of public affairs, said at an aerospace supply-chain forum on the sidelines of the expo.
China remains Airbus’ largest single-country market for commercial aircraft, accounting for around 20 percent of the company’s annual deliveries in recent years. Airbus aircraft also make up roughly 55 percent of the country’s in-service civil aviation fleet.
In an interview with China Daily, Harrison emphasized that Airbus viewed China as both a key market and production base and would continue expanding industrial cooperation across manufacturing, research and aircraft lifecycle services.
“China has always been a comprehensive strategic partner of Airbus,” Harrison said.
For more than four decades, the partnership has evolved from simple aircraft sales to a comprehensive industrial footprint, including engineering, manufacturing, final assembly, maintenance, and aircraft recycling. Today, Airbus works with about 200 suppliers in China, covering the entire value chain. Components made in China can be found across Airbus commercial aircraft programs.
Airbus China CEO George Xu said the company’s industrial cooperation value in China exceeded $1.4 billion in 2025, and is expected to continue growing as production rates increase.
Xu said more than half of Airbus’ direct procurement spending in China now comes from the Aviation Industry Corp of China, also known as AVIC, which serves as its largest global aerostructures supplier, excluding engine manufacturers.
The company’s two A320-family final assembly lines in the northern city of Tianjin are central to its global strategy, and underpin the company’s target of producing 75 single-aisle aircraft per month by 2027.
Among suppliers exhibiting alongside Airbus is Zhejiang Xizi Aviation Manufacture Co, a private aerospace manufacturer that supplies components for Airbus A220, A320 and A350 aircraft.
Mo Chi, the company’s general manager, said Airbus-related business accounts for about 80 percent of its total operations, making Airbus its largest customer.
Working with Airbus has required the company to meet stringent global standards for manufacturing, quality control and delivery, helping improve its production capabilities and management systems, Mo said.
The company also supplies components for Boeing aircraft and China’s domestically developed passenger jet.
Wu Rongxin, executive vice-president of AVIC, said cooperation between Airbus and AVIC now spans aircraft structures, cabin systems, advanced materials and joint industrial projects covering Airbus’ major aircraft program.
Wu said the global aviation industry continued to face challenges including insufficient production capacity and geopolitical restrictions, making supply-chain resilience and cross-industry coordination increasingly important.
Industry-wide supply chain constraints remain one of the biggest challenges facing aircraft manufacturers. Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said earlier this year that the company continues to ramp up production while managing shortages of Pratt & Whitney engines and other supply-chain disruptions.
To support the aviation industry’s low-carbon transition, Airbus is also expanding its footprint in sustainable aviation fuel and aircraft recycling. The company’s aircraft lifecycle services center in Chengdu, Sichuan province, focuses on aircraft dismantling, recycling and reuse as part of broader efforts.
The European manufacturer estimates China will require more than 9,500 new passenger and freighter aircraft over the next 20 years, highlighting the country’s importance to the future growth of the global aviation industry.
Driven by a robust recovery in passenger traffic, which rose 6.5 percent year-on-year to 200 million trips in the first quarter, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the domestic aviation market is widely expected to become the world’s largest over the next two decades.
Tanks to chinadaily.com.cn
Please visit:
Our Sponsor