Airbus has delivered the first A320neo from its second Tianjin assembly line, expanding production capacity as China’s aviation market continues to grow, reports Asian Lite News Desk
Airbus has delivered the first A320neo assembled at its second final assembly line in Tianjin, China, marking a major expansion of the European aircraft maker’s production capacity in one of the world’s largest aviation markets.
The aircraft was handed over to China Eastern Airlines on Wednesday, becoming the first jet completed at the new facility. The second A320 Family final assembly line is Airbus’ second such facility in China and Asia.
The delivery comes as Airbus expands its global production network to meet growing demand for single-aisle aircraft. The company is targeting a production rate of 75 A320 Family aircraft a month, with the new Tianjin line providing additional capacity and flexibility across its industrial system.
Philippe Mhun, Airbus Executive Vice President for Programmes and Services in the Commercial Aircraft business, said the delivery reflected the company’s long-term commitment to Chinese partners and its confidence in the continued growth of China’s civil aviation market.
China Eastern has worked with Airbus for more than four decades. The airline took delivery of China’s first Airbus aircraft, an A310, in 1985 and now operates the largest Airbus fleet among airlines on the Chinese mainland. Its fleet included 393 A320 Family aircraft, 56 A330 Family aircraft and 20 A350-900 aircraft at the end of August 2026.
Airbus opened its first Tianjin final assembly line in 2008, its first commercial aircraft assembly line outside Europe. More than 800 A320 Family aircraft have since been assembled and delivered from the facility.
The second line was inaugurated in October 2025 and is designed to significantly increase production close to Airbus’ customers in China and across Asia. Tianjin is now one of four global locations supporting Airbus’ A320 Family production, alongside Toulouse, Hamburg and Mobile in the United States.
China is a key market for Airbus, with the company forecasting demand for 8,830 new passenger aircraft in the country over the next two decades. That represents more than 20 per cent of projected global demand for 42,060 aircraft during the period.
