TIANJIN - An Airbus plant in Tianjin, north China, is expected to deliver its first A330 plane in 2018, according to its Chinese partner on Wednesday.

Airbus, Tianjin Free Trade Zone Investment Co Ltd and the Aviation Industry Corp of China inked an agreement earlier this month confirming that a completion and delivery center will be constructed in the coastal city.

The plant is expected to be operational by the fourth quarter of 2017. The first plane will roll off the assembly line in early 2018, said Lyu Jinzhou, deputy head of the Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone Administration Committee.

Facilities for cabin decoration, painting, engine tests, test flight and delivery of the A330 series will also be established in the next ten years, said Lyu.

Airbus already has an A320 assembly line in Tianjin. It will be the fourth city in the world following Toulouse, France; Hamburg, Germany; and Seattle, America; that can produce both single-passage and dual-passage aircraft.