European aircraft manufacturer Airbus Group SE says it plans to offer training to pilots and engineers for its new A350 widebody plane at the Hua Ou Aviation Training Center in Beijing, a joint venture of Airbus and China Aviation Supplies Holding Co.

The group says it is bullish on the country's demand for widebody aircraft, fueled by fast-growing long-haul international routes.

Airbus says it will also offer training on the structure of composite materials at Hua Ou Aviation Training Center to Chinese and Asian customers.

Since its establishment in 1996, Hua Ou Aviation has trained a large number of pilots and aircraft maintenance engineers, including crew for A320 and A330 aircraft.

Francois Mery, COO with Airbus Commercial Aircraft China, says the company has increasingly attached greater importance to its customer service work in the Chinese market.

"Hua Ou has been a solid base for our China-oriented customer service and it has been running successfully.

"We also aim to provide more customer service staff who speak Chinese, instead of offering services indirectly from Europe," he says.

Meanwhile Bruno Bousquet, vice-president of customer service with Airbus Commercial Aircraft China, says Airbus has offered more end-to-end customer services to Chinese airlines.

He says, for instance, it provides packaged cabin accommodation services to help airlines to optimize their cabin setup and increase revenues.

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(China Daily European Weekly 04/21/2017 page29)