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China and Europe-based Airbus Company have achieved a significant milestone in the A320 Wing Cooperation Program.

Trial installation of all parts manufactured at two of China Aviation Industry Corporation I (AVIC I) factories in Shenyang and Xi'an for A320 wings has been satisfactorily completed in Britain,the Airbus wing assembly base.

"The successful trials in Britain demonstrated that China has the technical capabilities to manufacture the most complex aircraft structural components and assemblies," said Dave Woolmington, project liaison manager based in China.

Fu Shula, AVIC I vice-president for marketing and international cooperation, said his company wished to expand cooperation with Airbus.

Shenyang and Xi'an have been working closely with Airbus since June 1999, following an agreement on A320 wing cooperation between AVIC I and Airbus. The successful trials marked an important milestone in the first phase of the program.

Discussions are taking place concerning the second phase, which will entail the manufacture of the complete leading and trailing edge assemblies. This major increase in the scale of cooperation between China and Airbus will require further complex manufacturing processes to be introduced into the Shenyang and Xi'an companies in the coming years.

The two factories, with the active involvement of Airbus experts, are required to deliver at a rate of four sets a month. Both sides are confident that this program will have a successful outcome.

"Airbus is fully committed to the development of the aviation industry in China. We are not only selling aircraft, but also carrying out industrial cooperation. We wish to build up long-termstrategic partnership with China and gradually transfer wing manufacturing and assembly capability to China," said Airbus China president Guy McLeod.

In the past twenty years, the Chinese aviation industry has established industrial cooperation with world leading aviation companies through subcontracting manufacture or joint ventures.

Four Chinese manufacturers, namely Xi'an Aircraft Company, Chengdu Aircraft Company, Shenyang Aircraft Corporation and Guizhou Aviation Industrial Group, are involved in manufacturing parts such as wing components, passenger doors and maintenance tools for Airbus aircraft. Over a quarter of the 2,900 Airbus aircraft in operation have components produced in China.