A worker stands in the cockpit of an Airbus A320 passenger jetliner being assembled at the A320 final assembly line in Tianjin, China. (File photo: AP)
Airbus has closed its aircraft production facility in Tianjin outside the Chinese capital Beijing due to the latest coronavirus outbreak, the aviation giant said Wednesday.
“China domestic and worldwide travel restrictions are posing some logistical challenges. The Tianjin Final Assembly Line facility is currently closed,” Airbus said in a statement.
The Tianjin facility, the first of its kind for Airbus outside Europe, is a completion center for single aisle A320 aircraft and can also handle the larger A330.
Tianjin is a port city 150 kilometres (93 miles) from Beijing. Airbus did not indicate when the centre might reopen.
“Airbus is constantly evaluating the situation and monitoring any potential knock-on effects to production and deliveries and will try to mitigate via alternative plans where necessary,” the company said in a statement.
More than 20 countries have confirmed cases of the virus, which has infected more than 24,000 people in mainland China.
The outbreak has prompted the World Health Organization to declare a global health emergency, several governments to impose travel restrictions, and airlines to suspend flights to and from China.
