Officials inaugurate the new Airbus R&D facility in Suzhou, China, on April 14, 2023.
SINGAPORE—Airbus has opened a research center in Suzhou, China, as part of its attempts to develop alternative energy such as hydrogen.
The European manufacturer says the Airbus China Research Center will take advantage of the highly skilled aviation and hydrogen know-how already established in the Yangtze River Delta. The center, in China’s eastern Jiangsu province north of Shanghai, will explore manufacturing innovation, hydrogen infrastructure, cabin experience and new technologies, according to Airbus.
The opening ceremony came a week after French President Emmanuel Macron visited China. Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury came as part of the French delegation and signed an agreement with his Chinese counterparts to open a second final assembly line at its site Tianjin, northern China.
“Airbus is working with partners and with China in particular to nurture technologies, discovering different resources, introducing alternative fuels and developing the hydrogen ecosystem as we work towards sustainable aviation,” said Sabine Klauke, Airbus’ chief technical officer, on April 14. “This expertise and experience will enable, to master the challenges ahead and shape the future of aviation.”
Chinese state-controlled news outlet GlobalTimes quoted Klauke saying that the facility would additionally benefit the assembly line in Tianjin and improve product efficiency there while also providing sustainable development for the Chinese aviation market.
On top of the new R&D center, Airbus also has an innovation center in Shenzhen, one of the OEM’s two innovation centers in the world. Known as the Airbus China Innovation Center, it aims to leverage the local innovation ecosystem to drive technologies in area of connectivity, manufacturing innovation, cabin experience and air mobility technology.
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