STORY: Airbus launches its first global aircraft recycling project in southwest China
SHOOTING TIME: Jan. 25, 2024
DATELINE: Jan. 26, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:04
LOCATION: CHENGDU, China
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the ceremony
2. various of the ALSC
3. SOUNDBITE (English): PHILLIPPE MHUN, Executive Vice President of Programs and Services, Airbus

STORYLINE:

Airbus unveiled its first global aircraft recycling project, named Airbus Lifecycle Services Centre (ALSC), in Chengdu, a major aviation hub in southwest China, on Wednesday.

Spanning over 60 hectares, ALSC is capable of handling a wide array of mainstream aircraft types and providing global distribution channels for the resale of reusable parts from retired aircraft.

Built with a total investment of 6 billion yuan (about 844.55 million U.S. dollars), the project aims to improve the recycling rate of aircraft components and materials, thereby achieving over 90 percent eco-friendly recycling of aircraft by weight.

"The opening of ALSC will become a new highlight in deepening cooperation between China and Europe," said George Xu, Airbus executive vice president and Airbus China CEO.

Chengdu is striving for rapid development of its aviation industry. In 2023, two international airports in the city recorded more than 74.92 million passenger trips and a total cargo and mail throughput of 771,000 tonnes, according to the Sichuan Province Airport Group Co., Ltd.

China will become the world's largest aviation services market by 2042, with its market value climbing to 54.1 billion U.S. dollars, Airbus China forecast in December 2023.

SOUNDBITE (English): PHILLIPPE MHUN, Executive Vice President of Programs and Services, Airbus
"Longer term, when we're looking at our global markets forecast, we see an annual growth for the traffic over the next 20 years, which would be around 5.3%. When we compare it to the worldwide traffic during the same period of time, it would be around 3.6%. So here there is still a lot to come in front of us. That's why we at Airbus are very happy to support this Chinese market, which is so important for us."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Chengdu, China.
(XHTV)