Austrian-based Fischer Advanced Composite Components (FACC) plans to establish a factory in China now that it appears set to come under Chinese ownership.
The European owners are planning to sell a 91.25% stake in FACC to Xian Aircraft, a Chinese aircraft-maker that is part of state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).
FACC chairman and chief executive Walter Stephan says FACC plans to build a factory in China but "we just need to look into whether it is achievable under the export control issues". He says the factory is likely to be built in 2011 and will make interiors for aircraft such as China's Comac ARJ21-700 regional jet.
FACC already makes the ARJ21 interior at one of its Austrian factories and it is pitching to supply interiors for the 158- to 168-seat Comac C919 mainline twinjet, he says.
FACC is already an Airbus A320 interiors supplier and Stephan says FACC's China factory will produce them for aircraft assembled at Airbus's Tianjin assembly plant.
Xian Aircraft wanted to buy FACC "for several reasons, including our technical competence, customer portfolio and marketing capability", says Stephan.
FACC is one of the only aerospace suppliers in the world that has an even split of work between Airbus and Boeing, he adds.
Source: Flight International
