Airbus delivered the fourth aircraft assembled at its Final Assembly Line China (FALC) in Tianjin to China Eastern Airlines on September 3. The aircraft was reported to be taking its first flight from Shanghai to Dalian on the same day.

"The Airbus A320 is a profit-maker for China Eastern. We are to have more than 40 additional A320 family aircraft added to our fleet in the next few years," said Zhang Jianzhong, vice president of China Eastern Airlines.

The aircraft, powered by IAE V2500 engines, has a two-class configuration with eight business class and 150 economy class seats. Airbus FALC plans to deliver 11 A320 family aircraft this year, including seven A320 and four A319. The output of FALC will gradually increase in the next few years and will eventually reach 48 aircraft per year by 2011, according to Eric Chen, Airbus China senior vice president, Commercial & External Affairs. Chen also said Airbus FALC may further increase its output after 2011 if there is a vigorous market demand.

As China's first Airbus operator, China Eastern Airlines introduced its first Airbus, an A310, in 1985, and has the largest Airbus aircraft fleet in the Asia-Pacific region. The latest A320 China Eastern received is its first FALC-assembled A320. "We are pleased and proud today to add to our Airbus fleet with an A320 assembled in China," Zhang said.

The A320 family is recognized as the benchmark single-aisle aircraft family. With more than 6,400 aircraft sold and over 4,000 aircraft delivered to more than 300 customers and operators worldwide, it is the world's best-selling single-aisle aircraft family. The A320 family has the lowest operating costs of any single aisle aircraft, with four aircraft (A318, A319, A320 and A321) that share unique cockpit and operational commonality.