In a ceremony today in Mobile, Alabama, Airbus inaugurated its first ever U.S. Manufacturing Facility. The plant situated in 116 acr...
In a ceremony today in Mobile, Alabama, Airbus inaugurated its first ever U.S. Manufacturing Facility.
The plant situated in 116 acres assembles the industry-leading family of A319s, A320s and A321s, by a skilled team of more than 250 Airbus manufacturing employees.
Airbus announced plans for the $600 million U.S. Manufacturing Facility in 2012, and construction began at the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley the following year.
The first U.S.-made Airbus commercial aircraft – an A321 – is scheduled for delivery next spring to JetBlue. By 2018, the facility will produce between 40 and 50 single-aisle aircraft per year.
Airbus says the factory is the most efficient in the world and will focus to build the largest of the A320 single aisle family, the A321. The factory has the capacity to produce 8 aircraft per month, but will not be stretched to that level.
Airbus’ market forecast indicates a demand over the next 20 years (from all manufacturers) for some 4,700 single-aisle aircraft in North America alone. Company is aiming 50 percent of the U.S. market.
The Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility joins several other Airbus and Airbus Group operations across the United States, including for example Airbus engineering offices in Alabama (Mobile) and Kansas (Wichita); an Airbus training centre in Florida (Miami); Airbus Defence & Space Military Aircraft facility in Alabama (Mobile); Airbus Helicopters factories and operations in Mississippi (Columbus) and Texas (Grand Prairie); and aircraft spares facilities in Georgia (Atlanta), Florida (Miami) and Virginia (Ashburn).
In addition to the new Alabama manufacturing site, Airbus assembles commercial aircraft at modern facilities in Hamburg (Germany), Tianjin (China) and Toulouse (France).
