TIANJIN, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Airbus delivered an A320neo plane with a special serial number MSN8000 to Air China, the Chinese national flag carrier, on Thursday at its Tianjin Delivery Center. It was the 8,000th aircraft of its type assembled by the plane maker.

The delivery not only marks a tremendous success for the A320 program, but also for the achievement of Airbus' industrial footprint in China, said Airbus China.

This aircraft was assembled in the Airbus Final Assembly Line Asia in north China's port city of Tianjin. Air China will operate it on domestic and international routes.

By the end of January 2018, Air China operated an Airbus fleet of 200 aircraft, including 141 A320 Family aircraft and 59 A330 Family aircraft.

In 2008, a joint venture of the A320 final assembly line was set up in Tianjin to meet surging demand from Chinese clients. It is the third single-aisle aircraft final assembly line location for Airbus.

To date, the line has assembled and delivered 355 A320 family aircraft since its inauguration in 2008.

Airbus delivered 176 commercial aircraft to China in 2017, marking its eighth consecutive year of more than 100 deliveries.

One-fourth of Airbus' total global deliveries went to China in 2017, including 141 A320, 32 A330, and three A350XWB wide-body aircraft.

By the end of 2017, there were 1,546 Airbus planes in China, about half of the country's in-service civil fleet.