Airbus’ US Manufacturing Facility officially opens

It was in 2012 that Airbus announced the go ahead for the construction of a US$600m manufacturing plant in Mobile, Alabama, USA and a year later in 2013 ground was broken. Today saw the official opening of the plant which will assemble the industry-leading family of A319s, A320s and A321s and which currently has over 250 skilled Airbus employees.
The first US-made Airbus commercial aircraft – an A321 – is scheduled for delivery next spring. By the end of 2017 it is anticipated that four aircraft per month will be produced, creating employment for over 1,000 members of staff. Currently Airbus has orders for 5,400 A320s and a second new facility is being discussed for construction in Hamburg. According to their website “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”
“Our commercial aircraft production in Mobile signifies two things: that Airbus has become the first truly global aircraft manufacturer, and that Airbus is now also a truly American manufacturer,” Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President and CEO, said, continuing “With the addition of our U.S. facility to our production network in Europe and Asia, we have strategically expanded our worldwide industrial base.
“The Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility is an important step forward in Airbus’ strategy, strengthening our position as a leader and competitor in all of our key markets,” Fabrice Brégier continued. “It enables us to grow our already significant presence in America – the largest single-aisle aircraft market in the world – and to be closer to our U.S. customers and key supplier partners. At the same time, the expanded industrial capacity gives us more flexibility to increase production across Airbus to meet global demand. The U.S. facility is good news for the overall Airbus enterprise, as this greater production capacity creates global growth opportunities across the company and throughout our supply chain.”
As part of Airbus’ expansion plans, Brégier indicated he hopes to increase the market share of Airbus to 50% of the United States market from its present40%. The Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility doubles the number of manufacturers of large commercial aircraft in the United States, while in addition to the new Alabama manufacturing site, Airbus assembles commercial aircraft at modern facilities in Hamburg (Germany), Tianjin (China) and Toulouse (France).