The Airbus A320 assembly plant, to be located in the north Chinese port city of Tianjin not far from Beijing, will complete its first aircraft in 2009 and will subsequently manufacture four a month, the aircraft maker said.

The order of 150 A320s, one of 14 deals signed between France and China in Beijing, would likely be a multi-billion-dollar deal for the European aerospace giant. 

The deal also included an option for China to buy an additional 20 of the European aircraft maker's new wide-body A350 planes. It follows China's order last year of 150 Airbus planes with a list price of nearly US$10 billion. Airbus will hold a 51 percent stake in the planned facility in Tianjin.

In June, China's National Development and Reform Commission, the national planning agency, approved the plans for Tianjin, calling the move an important step for the nation's aviation industry.

The A320, a medium-range, single-aisle twin-engine jet capable of carrying up to about 180 passengers, remains the European company's most popular aircraft after 17 years on the market. It is in direct competition with Boeing's 737 model.

Airbus is seeking to undercut US rival Boeing's dominance of the lucrative Chinese civil aviation sector and says it is aiming for a 50 percent market share.

Source:佚名