China will support Chinese companies' purchases of Airbus aircraft, according to commitments made during a state visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, the Xinhua News Agency reported, according to Reuters.
The two countries have also reportedly expressed hopes for cooperation in areas such as helicopters, aircraft engines and pilot training.
New China states that the countries also agree to work together to step up Airbus investments in China and complete a delivery center for the A350 model.
Airbus will expand its aircraft production in China, according to an agreement between the company and the Chinese government.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Airbus has signed a letter of intent to produce both larger wide-body aircraft and smaller single-aisle aircraft.
The aircraft manufacturer said its Tianjin factory is on track to increase capacity to six A320 aircraft per month by the end of the year. In addition, Airbus will expand its Tianjin facility in the second half of 2020, enabling production of the widebody A350.
Last month, Airbus lowered its delivery target for 2019 to 860 aircraft, from a previous 880-890. Despite this, the European company is expected to surpass its American arch-rival Boeing by a wide margin in terms of deliveries this year: by the end of October, Airbus had delivered 571 planes during the year, while Boeing had only delivered 301.
Airbus thus looks set to reclaim the title as the world's largest supplier of commercial passenger aircraft for the first time since 2011.
Source: finwire news agency direct
