Airbus now manufactures A320s on three continents AVIATION
With little fanfare, Airbus is about to mark an unusual milestone in aviation: simultaneous production of the same aircraft on three continents. The company will hand over the first A320 to roll-out of its Mobile, Alabama, assembly plant on August 25, meaning North America will join Europe and Asia in producing the most popular airliner in the world.
The Alabama facility opened in 2015 and has thus far produced three dozen of Airbus’s larger A321. The first US-built A320 will be handed over to Spirit Airlines, which has ordered 98 of the planes. By year’s end, Airbus plans to reach a production rate of four aircraft per month at the Mobile facility.
“The sun never sets on Airbus manufacturing,” the company spokeswoman Mary Anne Greczyn wrote in an email. “Internationalisation, coming closer to our customers, and a global industrial footprint are part of our overall strategy.”
Airbus opened its first assembly plant outside Europe in 2008 in Tianjin, China, where it produces A319s and A320s; European A320 production takes place in Toulouse, France. The European company is also building a completion centre in Tianjin for wide-body A330 models.
The single-aisle A320 is the middle model in the Airbus family of jets favoured for shorter domestic flights. The classic and new engine option (neo) versions, combined, are the company’s best-selling commercial aircraft.
Rival Boeing’s three aircraft assembly plants are all located in the US, although the company broke ground in May on an interiors-completion centre near Shanghai for 737 Max aircraft destined for China – which is considered the largest source of aviation growth for the next 20 years.
The 737 is Boeing’s best-selling and most profitable model, a direct competitor to the A320. When Boeing’s Chinese facility opens next year, 737 Max planes will be flown there for final touches such as seats, paint and carpet.