Erik Buschmann (L), chief operating officer of Airbus China, Yannick Malinge (C), head of aviation safety governance of Airbus, and George Xu, Airbus executive vice president and CEO of Airbus China, attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony of Airbus's first safety promotion center in China, in Tianjin, north China, Dec. 3, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus opened its first safety promotion center in China on Tuesday at its facilities in the northern port city of Tianjin, part of the company's global efforts to strengthen safety culture within the organization and improve safety awareness throughout the industry.

Airbus now has four safety promotion centers worldwide. The other three are in Toulouse, France; Bangalore, India; and Hamburg, Germany.

"The center in Tianjin aims to promote Airbus' safety culture among our Chinese aviation industry partners and all Airbus China employees," said George Xu, Airbus executive vice president and CEO of Airbus China.

Airbus employees and external visitors, such as airlines and suppliers, will learn how Airbus incorporates safety in aircraft design and manufacturing, as well as how its safety management system collaborates with partners to improve safety across the ecosystem, the aircraft maker said.

Inaugurated in 2008, the A320 Family Final Assembly Line Asia (FALA) in Tianjin is the first Airbus production line established outside Europe.

The Airbus Tianjin expansion project, which broke ground in September 2023, is expected to contribute to the company's overall A320 family development plan, supported by its global production network of 10 final assembly lines.

The production network will include two final assembly lines in Tianjin (one under construction), two in Toulouse, France, two in Mobile, the United States (one under construction), and four in Hamburg, Germany.