Airbus said to consider making newest jet in China to win orders

Airbus is looking at assembling its newest A330neo wide-body jet in China as part of a bid to win orders for the plane in one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Airbus may expand its existing plant in Tianjin to accommodate the model, but a decision hasn’t been made with the business case yet to be established, said the people, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private. The plan may not go ahead, they cautioned. A spokesman for Airbus declined to comment. Airbus previously offered to build its A380 superjumbo in China in exchange for orders from the country’s airlines, but that pitch was rejected amid concerns about the double-decker plane’s suitability for the local market, according to two of the people. The smaller, more fuel-efficient A330neo is potentially a better fit, with more than 200 of the original-generation model already sold in the Asian nation. Building wide-body jets in China would boost Airbus’s challenge to Boeing, which opened a so-called completion centre near Shanghai last year but has so far held off from assembling planes in the country. <br/>