Airbus has opened a new delivery centre in Toulouse to support higher production of its A320 family of aircraft, bringing final technical work and customer handovers together at one site.
The 35,000 m² facility at Airbus’ Jean-Luc Lagardère site in north-west Toulouse has 16 aircraft positions near the final assembly line and a dedicated hall for technical adjustments and finishing work on single-aisle aircraft.
Airbus said the centre would streamline production flows and speed up the final stages before aircraft are handed over to customers.
The project involved more than 700 workers and 50 partner companies. A new customer area includes a customs clearance zone for international buyers, while workspaces have been designed to give customers a direct view of their aircraft.
The site also makes use of existing infrastructure, with building utilities installed above ground on a specially designed bridge to avoid disrupting groundwater resources, Airbus said.
The facility is intended to support Airbus’ longer-term production plans as the planemaker increases output of its best-selling single-aisle aircraft.
Airbus said in April it was targeting monthly production of between 70 and 75 A320-family aircraft by the end of 2027, with output expected to stabilise at 75 aircraft a month thereafter.
The A320 family backlog stood at 7,577 aircraft at the end of August, including 5,691 A321neo aircraft, according to Airbus.
