Airbus is adding additional Airbus A321 production facilities at its site in Toulouse.
The Airbus A321XLR – A candidate for assembly at the new line at Toulouse – Image, Airbus
This will come at the expense of the A380 Lagardère line in Toulouse, which will be modified to accommodate a digitally-enabled A321 line as a step to modernise the A320 production system in Toulouse.
The industrial capacity will remain the same, whilst providing flexibility for A321 production – no doubt helped by the launch of the A321LR and A321XLR lines.
Currently, the A321 final assembly lines exist at Airbus Hamburg and at Mobile, Alabama.
The airframer selected Toulouse for several reasons such as overall competitiveness, time to market, investment cost, available floor space and resources. The decision has been communicated to Airbus’ social partners.
In Quotes
“We are enjoying an unprecedented high demand for our winning A320neo Family and especially its A321 Long Range (LR) and Xtra Long Range (XLR) derivatives,” said Michael Schoellhorn, Airbus Chief Operating Officer. “In order to optimize the industrial flow, we have decided to increase our global A321 production capacity and flexibility as well as to establish a next generation Final Assembly Line in Toulouse.”
Filling an A380 Production Gap with a Narrow-Body.
As the Airbus A380 moves away from the limelight and into the companies legacy, utilising an existing site makes sense – especially for the competitive narrow-body products that require assembly and flying.
A third line for its longer narrow-body product will be important, especially since the A321s mission profile is evolving from a short-haul “Carry lots of people” airline to a longer range aircraft, able to connect continents.
Whilst Airbus has had some trouble getting A321neo family aircraft out of the shop (not helped with engine troubles), it should provide the ability for the airframer to flex up and down its production requirements – as well as securing jobs for the area.
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