Airbus is expanding its industrial footprint in the U.S. by increasing the production rate of A320 family aircraft. The company will invest $40 million in construction of an additional support hangar on the site, enabling it to produce sixty-three A320 family aircraft per month at its manufacturing facility in Mobile, Alabama, in 2021.
“Airbus has been manufacturing in the U.S. for many years now through our helicopter, aircraft, and satellite products,” said Jeffrey Knittel, U.S., Airbus Americas chairman and CEO. “This increase in commercial aircraft production in Mobile is an exciting expansion of our significant industrial investment in the U.S., and it continues Airbus’ positive contribution to American aerospace.”
The A320 family are low-wing single-asile aircraft constructed of aluminum alloys and composite materials. Airbus signed a $1 billion long-term contract with Arconic in November 2016 for the supply of aluminum sheet and plate for its highest volume programs, in particular the A320 family. The aerospace manufacturer also has long-term contracts with Aleris and Constellium for the supply of aluminum for its other aircraft.
Airbus has already seen huge growth in 2019, when the company added 600 new jobs at the Mobile manufacturing site. In 2020, the company’s newest final assembly line will open, and the delivery of the first U.S.-made A220 will take place. By the middle of the decade, Airbus plans to be manufacturing four A220 aircraft per month at the site, putting the company on track to produce more than 130 aircraft there each year.
In addition to its operations in Mobile, Airbus has an extensive presence throughout the U.S. The company employs approximately 4,000 people at 38 locations in 16 states. Among its other U.S. facilities, Airbus has an engineering center in Kansas, training facilities in Florida and Colorado, materials support and headquarters in Virginia, an innovative think tank (A3) in California, a drone data analysis business in Georgia, helicopter manufacturing and assembly facilities in Texas and Mississippi, and a satellite manufacturing facility (OneWeb Satellites) in Florida.