Airbus marked a historic milestone this week with the delivery of its 800th A320 Family aircraft assembled at its Tianjin facility, underscoring China's pivotal role in global aviation manufacturing. The A321neo jet, delivered to Air China on December 18, 2025, features advanced fuel efficiency and a 198-seat configuration tailored for high-demand routes.
Since opening in 2008 as Airbus' first non-European production base, the Tianjin Final Assembly Line Asia (FALA) has become a cornerstone of Sino-European industrial collaboration. The facility reached previous milestones with its 500th delivery in 2020 and 700th in July 2024, demonstrating accelerating production capabilities.
Airbus China CEO George Xu emphasized the strategic significance: "Our Tianjin operations now represent 20% of global A320 assembly capacity. With 25% of China-produced aircraft exported beyond the Chinese mainland last year, we're leveraging China's robust aviation ecosystem to serve global markets."
The achievement coincides with explosive growth in China's air travel sector. Civil aviation authorities report 470 million Chinese residents have now flown commercially – a 52% increase since 2019 – cementing China's position as the world's largest air travel market.
With over 200 Chinese suppliers integrated into Airbus' production chain, every aircraft now contains components manufactured in China. The company forecasts China will require 9,000 new planes by 2042, driving Airbus' plans to increase monthly A320 production to 75 units globally by 2027.
Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury highlighted the broader implications: "Our expanded Tianjin facilities not only meet China's demand but strengthen EU-China economic ties through shared technological advancement."
