TIANJIN, Dec.3  -- Airbus on Wednesday handed over the 200th aircraft assembled in Tianjin to China Eastern Airlines, a landmark in the partnership between China and the European aircraft manufacturer.

"The deliver of the 200th Airbus A320 Family aircraft assembled in Tianjin is an important milestone," said Airbus China President and CEO, Eric Chen, "And we are happy to celebrate this achievement together with the Tianjin Free Trade Zone(TJFTZ) and Aviation Industry Corporation of China(AVIC), our partners."

The Tianjin plant opened in 2008 and is a joint venture between Airbus, the TJFTZ and AVIC. It is the third A320 Family final assembly line in the world after in Toulouse, France and Hamburg, Germany, and the first outside Europe.

In March, Airbus, TJFTZ and AVIC agreed to extend the joint venture for another 10 years from 2016 to 2025.

"The aircraft delivered in Tianjin are of the same quality as those delivered in Europe," said Feng Liang, deputy general manager of China Eastern.

The company is one of the largest airlines in China and was the first to operate Airbus aircraft in 1985.

The A320 Family is one of the world's best-selling single aisle product lines with over 6,200 aircraft delivered.