Airbus Celebrates 500th Jet Produced in Alabama

DALLAS — Airbus marked a significant milestone yesterday at its U.S. Manufacturing Facility in Mobile, Alabama, with the completion of its 500th aircraft. The aircraft, an A321neo, was produced for Delta Air Lines (DL). Airbus executives and employees gathered to celebrate this "stellar milestone," as described in the company's announcement.

The newly-manufactured A321neo represents a testament to the dedication of the Airbus team in Mobile. This achievement highlights the facility's growing importance in Airbus's global production network since its establishment.

The Mobile facility, which focuses on assembling aircraft from the popular A320 family, has become a crucial part of Airbus's strategy to strengthen its presence in the North American market. The production of 500 aircraft showcases the European manufacturer's contribution to the local and national aerospace industry.

Ramped Up Production

It was two years ago that production ramped up in Mobile. At the time, Airbus looked to start an aggressive growth plan at its assembly facility there.

According to a report on al.com, the plane manufacturer said that it would add a third assembly line at its Brookley Aeroplex on the shore of Mobile Bay. It then assembled A320s and A220s at the facility. The third line would provide additional capacity for A320s.

The company said that "Mobile will play a key role in Airbus’ plans to significantly increase global production rates in coming years."

In its Q2 2022 earnings report, Airbus noted that it was staying with and even accelerating A320 production that was slowed by the pandemic. The manufacturer set a goal of producing 65 A320s per month by mid-2023, and work with suppliers to ramp that up to 75 per month by 2025.

These numbers stood in stark contrast to the production of Boeing 737s which in 2022 remained at just over 30 planes per month.

“Airbus will meet the higher production rates by increasing capacity at its existing industrial sites and growing the industrial footprint in Mobile, AL while investing to ensure that all commercial aircraft assembly sites are A321-capable,” said the earnings report.

Richard Aboulafia, an analyst for the consultant AeroDynamic Advisory, said at the time, “The market for single-aisle jets is extremely strong, and the A321neo is doing particularly well.” Airbus’ objective is to gain 70% of that market, leaving only 30% for Boeing, “And they just might get there.”

In 2024, Airbus leads the single-aisle aircraft market with a significant advantage over Boeing. According to Alton Aviation Consultancy, Airbus holds an 80% market share in sales of large single-aisle planes, compared to Boeing's 20% share. This indicates a 60 percentage point difference in market share between the two companies.

Over the next 20 years, Airbus forecast a demand for more than 42,000 new deliveries, of which 33,500 will be single-isle aircraft.