Airbus begins US production of A220 aircraft
Airbus announced it has officially begun manufacturing the A220 in the United States with the first team of A220 production workers beginning work at the company’s Mobile, Alabama-based production facility following their recent return from on-the-job training in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada, where the A220 programme and primary final assembly line are located.
“The expansion of our commercial aircraft production in Mobile to a second product line—with 400 additional jobs to support it—further solidifies Airbus’ standing as a truly global aircraft manufacturer, and confirms without a doubt that Airbus is an important part of America’s manufacturing landscape,” said Airbus Americas chairman and CEO, C. Jeffrey Knittel. “With Mobile, and our production network in Asia, Canada and Europe, we have strategically created a worldwide industrial base to better serve our customers.”
Airbus announced plans for the addition of A220 manufacturing in Mobile in October 2017. Construction on the main A220 flowline hangar and other support buildings for the new A220 began at the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley at the beginning of this year. They are producing the first few aircraft within some current A320 family buildings and newly-built support hangars. The first US-made A220 – an A220-300 destined for Delta Air Lines – is scheduled for delivery in Q3 2020. By the middle of next decade, the facility will produce between 40 and 50 A220 aircraft per year.
Airbus has longstanding ties to the United States, with Airbus aircraft being operated by the largest airlines in America. Additionally, Airbus is a major partner of US aerospace companies and workers. The company has purchased US$48 billion of components and materials from American suppliers in the last three years and supports more than 275,000 American jobs. Among its facilities in the US, they have: engineering centres in Kansas and Alabama; training facilities in Florida and Colorado; materials support and headquarters in Virginia; a think tank (A3) in California; a drone data analysis business (Airbus Aerial) in Atlanta, Georgia; helicopter manufacturing and assembly facilities in Texas and Mississippi; and a satellite manufacturing facility (OneWeb) in Florida.
