Airbus will deliver 265 planes to Chinese customers by 2010, Airbus China said on Thursday.

Specifically, Airbus will deliver 75 aircraft this year, 90 next year and 100 in 2010.

Among these, the first Airbus A380 will be delivered to China Southern Airlines in 2009.

China's aviation authority, China Southern Airlines and Airbus have prepared programs involving maintenance and crew training to ensure that the aircraft go into operation smoothly.

Regarding the Airbus assembly line in Tianjin, Airbus China said the assembly line will assemble its first aircraft in August for delivery in the first half of 2009.

The assembly line was jointly organized by the Tianjin tax-free zone, China Aviation Industry Corporation I (AVIC I), China Aviation Industry Corporation II (AVIC II) and Airbus.

It is to have a capacity of four aircraft per month by 2011.

Cooperation between China and Airbus has expanded in recent years. By the end of 2007, the average sub-contract had surpassed 70 million U.S. dollars per year, according to Airbus China president Laurence Barron.

Six Chinese aviation manufacturing companies have undertaken cooperation with Airbus. This work will reach 200 million U.S. dollars in 2010 and 450 million U.S. dollars in 2015, said Barron.

(Xinhua News Agency March 7, 2008)