Airbus to cooperate with more Chinese suppliers

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus SE said it hopes to cooperate with more Chinese suppliers, including private enterprises, as it continues to expand cooperation with Chinese industrial players, a senior company executive said.

Next week, an A320 aircraft that is expected to be delivered from the Airbus A320 family final assembly line in Tianjin to China Express Air will be equipped with seats produced by Hubei province-based Jiatai Aircraft Equipment Co Ltd, the first time that an A320 aircraft is using seats produced by a Chinese supplier.

"We hope to cooperate with more Chinese suppliers in producing structural parts, such as lavatories, ceilings and seats. This will help us to save a significant amount of transportation costs and raise efficiency," Klaus Richter, chief procurement officer of Airbus, said on Tuesday in Beijing.