Airbus to build new China jet factory

空客将建设新的中国喷气式飞机工厂

Beijing: Airbus will double production capacity in China of its best-selling single-aisle jet, in a bold bet on future demand for air travel and lucrative aircraft orders in one of the world’s biggest aviation markets.

中国：空客将把其最畅销的单通道喷气式飞机在中国的产能提高一倍，这是对未来航空旅行需求和全球最大航空市场之一利润丰厚的飞机订单的大胆押注。

The European planemaker will add a second final assembly line at its existing factory site in Tianjin, under a deal signed by CEO Guillaume Faury in Beijing on Thursday.

根据首席执行官纪尧姆·福里 (Guillaume Faury) 周四在北京签署的协议，这家欧洲飞机制造商将在其天津现有工厂增加第二条总装线。

The expansion of the Tianjin facility will further Airbus’s plan to produce as many as 75 A320neo family jets a month by 2026. At the plant, which opened in 2008, workers stitch together major sections, such as wings and fuselage assemblies. Airbus and chief rival Boeing have struggled to raise output amid supply-chain constraints as demand for new aircraft has surged coming out of the pandemic.

天津工厂的扩建将推动空客到2026年每月生产多达75架A320neo系列喷气式飞机的计划。这家工厂于2008年开业，工人们将机翼和机身总成等主要部分缝合在一起。随着疫情结束后对新飞机的需求激增，在供应链紧张的情况下，空客及其主要竞争对手波音(Boeing)一直难以提高产量。

Airbus has also been working to drum up more sales to China. Bloomberg reported this week that the company was targeting a follow-on order that would include A350 and possibly A330neo wide-body aircraft.

空客也一直在努力向中国争取更多的销售。彭博社(Bloomberg)本周报道称，该公司正瞄准后续订单，其中将包括A350，可能还包括A330neo宽体飞机。

In Beijing, Faury also signed a so-called general terms agreement for aircraft sales, without detailing specifics. Chinese carriers ordered more than 300 narrow-body aircraft from Airbus last year, valued at more than $40 billion before customary discounts. Airlines in China make up about a fifth of Airbus deliveries.

在北京，福瑞还签署了一份所谓的飞机销售一般条款协议，但没有透露细节。中国的航空公司去年向空客订购了300多架窄体飞机，不计常规折扣，价值超过400亿美元。中国的航空公司约占空客交货量的五分之一。

China, with its massive global tourism potential, is only just starting to emerge from a three-year freeze on international travel because of its Covid-19 border shutdowns.

拥有巨大全球旅游潜力的中国，刚刚从长达三年的国际旅游禁令中走出来，原因是它关闭了与新冠肺炎的边境。

The largest US exporter is still waiting on airlines there to restart deliveries of its re-engined 737 Max jet. China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines have said they plan to start accepting more of the model this year. The popular single-aisle jet resumed flying in China in January after almost four years, following two fatal crashes that precipitated a global grounding.

这家美国最大的出口商仍在等待那里的航空公司重新开始交付其重新配备引擎的737 Max喷气式飞机。中国东方航空公司和中国南方航空公司表示，他们计划今年开始接受更多的这种机型。这架广受欢迎的单通道喷气式飞机在经历了近四年的时间后，于今年1月在中国恢复飞行，此前发生了两起致命坠机事件，导致全球停飞。

Boeing’s main manufacturing plants are in the US although it does have its own completion and delivery center for the 737 Max in Zhoushan in Zhejiang province, where aircraft are painted and interiors are fitted. The partnership with Commercial Aircraft of China opened in 2018. At the time, Boeing said Chinese customers accounted for one-third of Max deliveries, underlining the importance of the growing market.

波音的主要制造工厂在美国，尽管它在浙江舟山确实有自己的波音737 Max完工和交付中心，飞机在那里喷漆，内部安装。与中国商用飞机的合作于2018年开启。当时，波音公司表示，中国客户占MAX交货量的三分之一，这突显了这个不断增长的市场的重要性。

Order race

订单竞赛

While Airbus secured substantial orders in China last year, Boeing has picked up momentum elsewhere. It edged out its European rival to win a narrow-body deal with Japan Airlines last month, while scooping up a $37 billion order from Saudi Arabia’s Saudia airline and new carrier Riyadh Air. Airbus and Boeing shared the spoils from Air India Ltd’s mammoth 470-plane order in February.

虽然空客去年在中国获得了大量订单，但波音在其他地方的势头也有所增强。上个月，它击败了欧洲竞争对手，赢得了与日本航空公司的窄体飞机交易，同时从沙特阿拉伯的Saudia航空公司和新的利雅得航空公司获得了370亿美元的订单。空客和波音在2月份分享了印度航空公司470架飞机的巨额订单。

Large plane orders have become a customary goal of trade visits. Airbus locked in a $35 billion deal for 300 jets during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Paris in March 2018.

大笔飞机订单已成为贸易访问的惯常目标。在中国国家主席习近平2018年3月访问巴黎期间，空客敲定了一笔价值350亿美元的交易，购买300架喷气式飞机。