Tibet takes Tianjin-assembled Airbus

Tibet Airlines has taken delivery of its first A319 assembled at the Airbus Tianjin Final Assembly Line.

The A319 delivered is the fifth A319 to join the all-Airbus fleet operated by the Lhasa-based airline.

The company received its first Airbus A319 in Hamburg, Germany, in July 2011.

"The new aircraft will fly between Shenzhen and Lhasa and contribute to the development of the two areas," said Yin Huixin, vice-president of Tibet Airlines.

Powered by the CFM56-5B engine, the newly delivered A319 is able to accommodate up to 128 passengers in a two-class configuration with eight premium and 120 economy seats.

The aircraft will be operating from an altitude of 12,000 feet at Lhasa Gongga Airport, the world's highest, and fly the route between Lhasa and Shenzhen with a stopover in Chengdu.

"We are honored that our modern Airbus A319 aircraft will contribute to the development of civil aviation on the Tibetan plateau and I'm really confident that the FALC-assembled A319 will serve the need of Tibet Airlines," said Airbus China's President Laurence Barron.

The newly introduced A319 is certified for high altitude airport operations.

It has today's most modern navigation technology, allowing the aircraft to fly precisely along a predefined route using on-board navigation systems and the global positioning satellite-based Global Navigation Satellite System that is especially important for airlines operating at high altitude airports. Tibet Airlines has selected Quovadis, an Airbus subsidiary, as its strategic partner for navigation operations.

To date, Airbus has delivered 105 Tianjin-assembled A320 Family aircrafts to 11 operators since the inauguration of Tianjin's assembly line in 2008, which is Airbus first final assembly line outside Europe.

yangxiaofan@chinadaily.com.cn