Airbus may build planes in China

The European parent of the maker of Airbus aircraft is considering manufacturing some planes in China, but a top executive said today that the company will not make a final decision until summer.

“Asia is the biggest growth area,” Tom Enders, chief executive officer of European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co., said at a news conference.

He said EADS hopes to make a final decision between July and September.

The planes to be made in China would be commercial aircraft produced by Airbus. EADS owns 80% of Airbus, based in Toulouse, France.

Enders said the company was considering building single-aisle commercial aircraft in China. These planes typically have 107 to 185 seats and many likely would be used for destinations within China.

He said the company was not sure how many people it would hire in China and company managers meeting reporters today were unable to say where production facilities would be based.

EADS managers said the plan being considered would be to build four planes a month in China by some time in 2009.