| How many curiosities and guesses will arise when a city is linked with an aircraft plant? Wang Wei a fan of civil aviation said, it will be a wonderful experience to have a look in the aircraft assembly plant nearby if he has the chance. However, such a chance he may not have yet. For A320 project, what the reporter heard most is people’s discussion and guesses on what business opportunities it will bring.
“In May the first aircraft will have flight test. To the end of this year, the Airbus general assembly plant in Airport Industrial Park of Tianjin will finish the assembly of 11 aircrafts and deliver them for use. The next year has a goal of delivering 15 A320 aircrafts. It is anticipated that to year 2011 the Airbus general assembly line in Tianjin will have an annual output capacity of 48 aircrafts.” Shang Luguo, the general manager of Airbus (Tianjin) General Assembly Co., Ltd. said repeatedly.
Nobody will doubt the attraction of Airbus. If such attraction is to be magnified into something on a map, it may be a hotel, a restaurant, or even a taxi “waiting for guest” at the gate of Airbus plant.
It is already noon. The early summer’s sunshine dazzles people’s eye, making people sleepy. The driver Li was sitting in his taxi at the gate of Airbus Tianjin plant, and looked at his mobile now and then. Four foreigners walked to him. He cheered up, started the taxi, rolled the window down, and said to them in English, “I have waited for more than half an hour. Now I will take them to lunch,” said Mr. Li to the reporter in haste. Although Mr. Li can only speak simple English as hello, bye-bye, he managed his business well. The plant has a special secretary that pays fare to him periodically. He just needs to wait for the call, and arrive at the gate in time to take the Airbus personnel to the destination.
Since the foundation of Airbus project in free trade zone’s airport industrial park, Mr. Li uses it as his key activity base. According to his words, here he can get good chance in service earning much money. The Airbus general assembly Tianjin project totally covers an area of 600-thousand square meters or so, building area about 114-thousand square meters. The project covers over 10 buildings and structures including the general assembly workshop, spray-painting workshop, large parts warehouse, and logistic center etc. After entering 2008, evidently more foreigners appear since the beginning of the construction for the general assembly workshop. Mr. Li became busy in “his most rosy year”.
Airport Industrial Park Baiyun Hotel near to the Airbus Assembly Plant is one of the hotels providing lodging service for related personnel of the Airbus project. This is a four-star hotel built specially for Airbus. It began operation at the same time when the Airbus project was launched.
Certainly the guest room service earns the hotel just a small part of the profits. More profits come from food and drink service. “Foreigners are generous at spending money, at least 80-Yuan average per person, and in most time they choose western-style food,” this is far more generous than those ordinary business guests taking lodging in the hotel. As introduced by Mr. Li (working in hotel), at least 40 to 50 guests from Airbus will have dinner in the hotel everyday, giving the hotel daily income of 4,000-5,000-Yuan if calculated by 80-Yuan average per person, an income three or four times than the beginning days of the hotel. Certainly there are some large conferences and banquets that give the hotel more income.
“Our profits will further increase if more auxiliary enterprises appear.” In significant measure, the hotel’s profits are benefited by the regional maturity. As the public relations manager, Mr. Li has turned his eye to the China Aviation helicopter project in the free trade zone. “I am confident to contract with all the projects in this zone,” he said.
In recent years the aeronautical and astronautical industry is developing rapidly in Tianjin. At present 17 aeronautical projects with total investment over 2-billion dollars have clustered in Binhai New Area. In addition to the Airbus A320 general assembly line familiar with the public, there are other world top-grade projects including China Aviation helicopter industrialization base, America Goodrich aircraft nacelle assembly, France Zodiac aviation equipment repair and maintenance, Thales radar assembly, STTS aircraft spray-painting service, Canada FTG aeronautical instruments, and Germany Lufthansa astronautical warehouse etc.
A five-star hotel, Crown Holiday Hotel will launch business soon in Airport Industrial Park. This five-star hotel has a building area of 60-thousand square meters. With an investment of 1-billion Yuan, the hotel has 350 guest rooms for high-end businessmen in the zone.
Tianjin Shengguang Express by Holiday Hotel that opened to lodge guests at the end of 2006 is the first hotel in Airport Industrial Park. It has the same owner as the Crown Holiday. Being a comfortable inn of express by holiday type serving businessmen, this hotel also sees the frequent coming and going of Airbus project personnel. Ms. Qiu a principal of the hotel told the reporter that in the passed more than one year’s times, she could feel the gradually increased influence brought by Airbus. “We designed 38-Yuan-per-seat simple diet, and many Airbus personnel have lunch and supper here,” said Ms. Qiu. |
