Airbus Eyes a Plant in China

The European parent of Airbus is considering manufacturing some planes in China, but an executive said Monday that the company would not make a final decision until summer.

“Asia is the biggest growth area,” Thomas Enders, chief executive of European Aeronautic Defense & Space Co., said at a news conference. He said EADS hoped to make a final decision between July and September.

The planes to be made in China would be produced by Airbus. Enders said the company was considering building single-aisle commercial aircraft, which typically have 107 to 185 seats, and many probably would be flown within China.

EADS owns 80% of Airbus, based in Toulouse, France.

Enders said the company was not sure how many people it would hire in China. Managers meeting with reporters Monday said the plan would be to build four planes a month in China by sometime in 2009.

EADS, based in Paris and Munich, Germany, said last week that its 2005 net income rose 39% to 1.68 billion euros ($2 billion).

Hans Peter Ring, chief financial officer at EADS, said the company expected much of its growth over the next five to 10 years to come from Asia.