Beijing is likely to become Airbus' regional hub to provide customer support and training services in Asia in the near future, a senior executive of the European aircraft manufacturer said yesterday.

"We are using the proximity of Beijing to serve other areas of Asia," said Charles Champion, Airbus' executive vice-president for customer services.

"At the moment, the primary focus of our customer service center in Beijing is to support the growth of Chinese airlines, as Chinese carriers are already using a lot of capacity. But beyond that, the center is open for training and delivery of spares to the rest of Asia."

The center is a 50-50 joint venture between Airbus and China Aviation Supplies Holding Co (CASC). It is the largest Airbus customer service facility in Asia.

Champion said Airbus is expecting customer services to be an important revenue generator for the company in the near future, besides aircraft sales.

"We are looking forward to turnover of several hundred million dollars a year. Although it is smaller than the billions we get by selling aircraft, over time it will become a significant part of the turnover," he added.

(China Daily June 24, 2009)