Harbin Hafei Airbus Composite Manufacturing Center (HMC), a joint venture between Airbus and its Chinese partners, has started to deliver elevators for the Airbus A350 XWB program. A ceremony was held on Sept. 15, 2013 in Harbin for the delivery of the first ship set of elevators.
The elevators manufactured at HMC are delivered to Spain-based Aernnova Aerospace (ANN), who will deliver them to the Airbus plant in Getafe, Spain, where they will be integrated into the A350 XWB horizontal tail plane. ANN is a major supplier of aero structures to Airbus.
Under a contract signed by HMC and ANN in 2010, HMC is responsible for manufacturing and assembling the complete set of carbon fiber elevators. During the initial phase, the A350 elevators were solely produced at ANN. Production in China started in 2012. After a period of transition, during which the elevators are produced at both ANN and HMC, the Harbin Manufacturing Center is to become the sole supplier of A350 XWB elevators.
According to an agreement signed in 2007 between Airbus and the Chinese government, Airbus agreed to allocate 5% of the A350 XWB airframe to be manufactured in China. The work packages to be carried out by HMC are a significant part of the 5%.
Among the participants at the ceremony were Chinese government officials, European Government representatives, executives of Airbus and its Chinese partners including AVIC, an aviation industry group of China and the parent company of the majority shareholding Chinese partners of the HMC, representatives of ANN, and other industry professionals.
The Harbin Hafei Manufacturing Center is already producing work packages related to the Airbus Single Aisle program (elevators, rudders, and HTP spars). In order to fulfill these work packages, especially those for the A350 XWB program, including elevators, rudders, Section 19 maintenance doors, and belly fairing parts, HMC began to build new facilities in 2009. The state-of-the-art new facilities were inaugurated in early 2011.