Airbus China signed an agreement with the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China yesterday to provide comprehensive and thorough training for professionals from the aviation regulatory body and various airlines in the country.

"Airbus is committed to the development of China's aviation industry for the long term," Bernard Catteeuw, Airbus senior vice-president of product safety, said in Beijing.

"In China, we are not only selling aircraft, but providing quality customer services in training and support on a daily basis," Catteeuw said.

Yang Yuanyuan, minister of CAAC, said as China's economy develops further, the country's civil aviation market has great potential.

"The training programme will be of great significance to flight safety in China," he said.

Under the agreement, Airbus will not only help train the trainers and inspectors in training centers, airlines and other civil aviation facilities in Europe and China, but also help set up "airline safety performance modelization" for the commission.

Airbus's business in China has been steadily expanding since it first entered the country in 1985.

The Airbus fleet in service in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao has grown to more than 200 aircraft from 29 in 1995.

The Airbus Customer Service Training and Support Center, which represents an US$80 million investment by Airbus, is operational in Beijing.

Four Chinese manufacturers are already involved in manufacturing of Airbus parts, such as wing components, passenger doors and tools.

Airbus is a global company with design and manufacturing facilities in France, Germany, the UK, and Spain, as well as subsidiaries in the United States, China and Japan.

(China Daily November 25, 2003)