Airbus will establish a second A320-family final assembly line (FAL) at its Chinese facility in Tianjin. The European airframer says it has signed an agreement for the site's expansion with the Tianjin Free Trade Zone Investment Company and Aviation Industry Corporation of China. The accord was finalised during a visit by French president Emmanuel Macron to China this week. Airbus says the expansion is part of its efforts to ramp up A320-family production to 75 aircraft per month by 2026 across the group's FALs in France, Germany, China and the USA. In late 2022, the airframer disclosed its intention to establish a second A320-family FAL in Mobile, Alabama in the USA in the future. At its Toulouse headquarters, Airbus has started production at a new A320-family FAL in a facility previously used to assemble A380s. Two older single-aisle FALs are operational elsewhere at the site. The company facility in Hamburg, Germany comprises four A320 family lines. Airbus highlights that the Tianjin facility has completed over 600 single-aisles since its launch in 2008. The site's first A321neo was delivered in March 2023. In addition to the expansion, China Aviation Supplies Holding signed a general terms agreement with Airbus for the purchase of 150 A320 family jets and 10 A350-900s that were previously ordered with the airframer. Airbus predicts demand by Chinese operators for 8,420 passenger and freighter aircraft by 2041, representing more than 20% of total international airliner demand over the period. With the China National Aviation Fuel Group (CNAF), meanwhile, Airbus signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to intensify Chinese-European co-operation regarding "the production, competitive application and common standards formulation" for sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). This agreement aims at "optimising the SAF supply chain by diversifying the sources and enhancing SAF production towards the ambition of using 10% SAF by 2030", Airbus says. It is a follow-up to an agreement in September 2022 between CNAF and the airframer to use SAF for commercial and delivery flights in China. "We are honoured to continue our long-standing co-operation by supporting China's civil aviation growth with our leading families of aircraft," Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury states, adding: "Airbus values its partnership with the Chinese aviation stakeholders and we feel privileged to remain a partner of choice in shaping the future of civil aviation in China."
The airframer notes its in-service fleet in the nation comprises more than 2,100 aircraft.

A Dutch court has blocked a decision by the country's government to limit the number of flights at Amsterdam Schiphol to 460,000 as of November this year, versus its current level of 500,000. The authorities had not followed correct procedure in enacting the decision, a court in Amsterdam decided, scuppering one of Europe's most high-profile government actions to reduce capacity on environmental grounds. The court says that in preliminary relief proceedings it has ruled that "by introducing the temporary arrangement envisaged, the state has not followed the correct procedure", adding: "According to European rules, the state may reduce the number of air transport movements of an airport only after completing a careful process." That process includes the identification of other measures that may reduce noise and extensive consultations, with a reduction in movements only being allowed once other actions have proven ineffective. The legal challenge was bought by KLM, Delta Air Lines, Corendon Airlines, EasyJet and TUI, which argued that they can reduce noise levels and CO2 emissions while maintaining their passenger and cargo networks, having invested billions in the latest aircraft. They also highlighted Schiphol's contribution to the wider Dutch economy. "We would rather co-operate with the other parties than face them in court," says KLM in response to the ruling. "We were unfortunately forced to file these preliminary relief proceedings to get clarity; the capacity for the coming winter will be determined at the beginning of May. With this verdict, we have clarity." KLM has previously warned that plans to limit aircraft movements at Schiphol threatened its ability to act as a viable hub airport and would push operators away from running smaller aircraft at high frequencies. The carrier, which operates around 60% of flights from Schiphol, led the legal proceedings. Representing the wider airline industry, IATA has welcomed the decision, saying it would ensure the choice and connectivity that customers value. "Winning this vital reprieve is good news for Schiphol's passengers, Dutch businesses, the Dutch economy and airlines," writes IATA director general Willie Walsh. "But the job is not done. The threat of flight cuts at Schiphol remains very real and is still the stated policy of the government." Although the ruling represents a victory for airlines, the Dutch government is currently consulting on a move to restrict flights to 440,000 on a permanent basis from 2024 onwards. IATA warns that Dutch state "is again at risk" of not following the legally enshrined approach to cut flight activity, hinting that the courts could again become involved in capacity levels at the airport. "Any flight cuts can only be a last resort to achieve this noise objective, not the starting point," adds Walsh. "We believe that the ruling today gives a strong indication that the State must follow the proper process and analyse all options." IATA had said it would bring its own legal action against the cap on movements at Schiphol, arguing that that no meaningful consultation had been undertaken with industry and that flight reductions were being imposed as a first resort rather than a last one. On 4 April, Schiphol separately said it planned to ban on private jets and further restrict take-off and landing times in order to bring about a "quieter, cleaner and better aviation". It also intends to abandon its Kaagbaan second runway and prohibit the noisiest aircraft.

Amsterdam Schiphol plans to enact a blanket ban on private jets and further restrict take-offs and landings in order to bring about a "quieter, cleaner and better aviation". Under new rules at the airport, no aircraft will take off between midnight and 06:00 or land between midnight and 05:00, barring emergency or medical services. Schiphol is also abandoning its Kaagbaan second runway and banning the noisiest aircraft. Pressure on Schiphol to improve its environmental performance has increased in recent years, with the Dutch government announcing deep cuts to the number of flights operating from the airport as part of a "new equilibrium". Several airlines have since declared their intention to sue over the plans, arguing that they can cut noise and carbon without slashing the number of services. Schiphol says its latest actions will result in 10,000 fewer night flights per year and phase out the noisiest aircraft over time. The ban on private jets and "small business aviation" will likewise take out activity that causes a "disproportionate amount of noise nuisance and CO2 emissions per passenger", it adds. Some 30-50% of these flights are to leisure destinations such as Ibiza, Cannes and Innsbruck, where there is plenty of alternative connectivity, notes the airport. Enacting these measures by 2025-26 will reduce the number of people around Schiphol experiencing severe nuisance by 16% and cut sleep disturbance by 54%, it calculates. "Schiphol connects the Netherlands with the rest of the world," states Ruud Sondag, chief executive of Royal Schiphol Group. "We want to keep doing that, but we must do it better. The only way forward is to become quieter and cleaner more rapidly. "We have thought about growth but too little about its impact for too long. We need to be sustainable for our employees, the local environment and the world. I realise that our choices may have significant implications for the aviation industry, but they are necessary."