In the next 20 years China will become the second largest aviation market in the world following the US, and Airbus' annual delivery of aircrafts to China will make up more than 10 percent of its annual delivery in the world, said Laurence Barron, president of Airbus China. 

Mr. Laurence Barron said from 2000 to 2004 total traffic of the Chinese aviation market grew at an annual rate of 16.7 percent. In the next 20 years Airbus will deliver about 1,800 aircrafts to China. It means Airbus will hand over an average of 90 aircrafts to China each year, which represents 11 percent of Airbus' global annual delivery.

Mr. Laurence Barron said in Airbus' brand-new A350 project China would be responsible for 5 percent of the task. The Airbus R&D center Airbus, AVIC1 (China Aviation Industry Corporation I) and AVIC2 (China Aviation Industry Corporation II) jointly set up is scheduled to officially start in mid August in Beijing.

(People's Daily July 11, 2005)