AIRBUS is looking at assembling its newest A330neo wide-body jet in China as part of a bid to win orders for the plane in one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets, according to sources with knowledge of the matter. Airbus may expand its existing plant in Tianjin to accommodate the model, but a decision hasn’t been made with the business case yet to be established, said the sources. The plan may not go ahead, they cautioned. Airbus previously offered to build its A380 superjumbo in China in exchange for orders from the country’s airlines, but that pitch was rejected amid concerns about the double-decker plane’s suitability for the local market, according to two of the sources. The smaller, more fuel-efficient A330neo is potentially a better fit, with more than 200 of the original-generation model already sold in the Asian nation. Building wide-body jets in China would boost Airbus’s challenge to Boeing Co., which opened a so-called completion center near Shanghai last year but has so far held off from assembling planes in the country. China is set to become the world’s biggest aviation market next decade but is also seeking to build up its own know-how as a prelude to challenging Western dominance in aerospace production. China will need almost 8,000 aircraft worth US$1.2 trillion over 20 years, according to Boeing estimates. China has also earmarked aerospace as a priority industry, encouraging foreign producers to set up shop in the country, though both the U.S. company and Airbus are still a long way from offering the kind of expertise found at their factories in Seattle and Toulouse, France.(SD-Agencies) |