Airbus Press Release - press release

Airbus has reached an agreement with China Aviation Industry Corporation I (AVIC I) on subcontracting projects worth  $ U.S. 100 million to Chinese manufacturers. A signing ceremony was held today in Paris, attended by visiting Chinese Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan and French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin.

The upper and lateral panels of the A380 Nose Landing Gear Bay will be subcontracted to AVIC I. The project will be carried out via Airbus first-tier supplier Latecoere, a French company.  This has been the first time for Airbus to involve China in producing A380 components.

Airbus will allocate A330/A340 forward cargo door projects, via Eurocopter, a first-tier supplier of Airbus, to Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, which is affiliated with AVIC I.  

?We appreciate Airbus? efforts to carry out effective cooperation of mutual benefits with Chinese manufacturers,? AVIC I Senior Vice President Gu Huizhong said. ?We hope that our cooperation could be further consolidated and expanded. We are particularly pleased to see that Chinese companies will produce A380 components.?

"Airbus is not only selling aircraft in China, but also committed to the long-term development of China's aviation industry," said Airbus President and CEO Noel Forgeard.

AVIC I is a large state-owned enterprise group in China, which has involved itself in the R&D, manufacturing, sales and after-sales services of aircraft, aero-engines, airborne equipment, as well as non-aero products. Fifteen affiliated companies of AVIC I have manufactured aircraft and aero engine parts and components for many world-renowned foreign companies including Airbus.

Five Chinese companies have got involved in producing parts for Airbus aircraft, namely Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, Xi?an Aircraft Company and Hong Yuan Aviation Forging & Casting (HYFC) and Guizhou Aviation Industrial Group. 

Airbus is an EADS joint Company with BAE SYSTEMS.