Airbus plans to assemble about 300 A320 aircraft in Tianjin by the beginning of 2016, a senior company official said yesterday.

If the Tianjin factory can meet that target, Airbus will consider further cooperation in the northern port city, Marc Bertiaux, Airbus vice-president for cooperation and partnership with China, told China Daily in an exclusive interview.

Airbus and a Chinese consortium that includes China's two leading aviation manufacturers yesterday signed a joint venture contract to operate the Tianjin factory, which will start assembling the A320 family jet next summer.