The output of Tianjin’s aviation and aerospace industry in the first seven months of this year reached 7.5 billion yuan, up 33 times year-on-year, local authorities said on Sunday.

The industry is now the fastest growing industry in Tianjin, and has helped drive the city’s economy. Seven aviation and aerospace projects were listed by the local government among the city’s 100 major industrial projects, local media reported.

One of them, an Airbus A320 general assembly line in the Tianjin free trade zone is already operating.The factory is the only Airbus plant outside Europe, and it has delivered three aircraft as of the end of August, and will deliver another eight this year. By 2011, it is expected to have an annual output capacity of 48 aircraft.

Airbus’ investment has also attracted other companies to Tianjin. China Aviation Industry Corporation, the country's top aircraft maker, is building a $1.2 billion commercial helicopter plant here. It will produce medium-sized and heavy helicopters and officials expect it will have an annual output capacity of 400 helicopters by 2012.

At present there are 17 aeronautical projects worth over $2 billion in Binhai New Area, in Tianjin, including an America Goodrich aircraft nacelle assembly plant, an aviation equipment repair and maintenance center run by France Zodiac, a Thales radar assembly factory, and a German Lufthansa warehouse.

Experts predict China's aviation market will become one of the largest one in the world, and the nation will likely need more than 3,000 new aircraft over the next two decades. Tianjin’s local government is aiming to take advantage of this growth by building itself into an aviation and aerospace hub through preferential policies and strong infrastructure.

By Guo Changdong