China’s Tibet Airlines takes delivery of its first FALC A319

23 November 2012 Press Release

China’s Tibet Airlines has taken delivery of its first A319 assembled at the Airbus Tianjin Final Assembly Line (FALC). The A319 delivered today is the fifth A319 to join the all Airbus fleet operated by lhasa based Tibet Airlines. The airline received its first Airbus A319 in July 2011 in Hamburg, Germany.

The newly delivered A319 accommodates 128 passengers in a two-class configuration with eight premium seats and 120 economy seats. The aircraft is powered by CFM56-5B engines.

The aircraft will operate from Lhasa Gongga Airport, which at 12,000 feet in altitude is one of the world’s highest. t o. It will fly the route between Lhasa and Shenzhen, which borders Hong Kong in Southern China with a stop-over in Chengdu, Southwestern China.

The newly introduced A319 is certificated for high altitude airport operation and RNP-AR (Required Navigation Performance – Authorisation Required) and Satcom installed.

RNP-AR procedures represent today the most modern navigation technique, allowing the aircraft to fly precisely along a predefined route using on-board navigation systems and the GPS-based ‘Global Navigation Satellite System’ (GNSS). RNP AR is especially important for airlines operating in and out of high altitude airports. Tibet Airlines has selected Quovadis, an Airbus subsidiary, as its strategic partner for its RNP-AR operations.

 “The new aircraft will fly between Shenzhen and Lhasa and contribute to further development of the two areas”, said Yin Huixin, Vice President of Tibet Airlines.

 “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 President Laurence Barron.

The FALC in Tianjin is based on the latest state-of-the-art Airbus single aisle final assembly line in Hamburg, Germany. The aircraft delivered in China are assembled to the same standards as those assembled and delivered in Europe.

Airbus has delivered 105 Tianjin assembled A320 Family aircraft to 11 operators since the inauguration of the Final Assembly Line in 2008, which is the first Airbus final assembly line outside Europe.

The A320 Family (A318, A319, A320 and A321) is recognized as the benchmark single-aisle aircraft family. With more than 8, 600 aircraft sold, and over 5, 300 aircraft delivered to more than 350 customers and operators worldwide, the A320 Family is the world’s best-selling single-aisle aircraft family. With 99.8 per cent reliability and extended servicing periods, the A320 Family has the lowest operating costs of any single aisle aircraft. Uniquely, the A320 Family offers a containerized cargo system, which is compatible with the worldwide standard wide-body system.