Airbus Opens New A320 Final Assembly Line

Airbus has officially opened a new final assembly line (FAL) for A320-family aircraft at its facility in Toulouse, France. Located in the former A380 assembly building, the new line features digital production control using tablets and smartphones, automated logistics for parts distribution and lightweight robots for joining sections. According to Airbus, the additional capacity the line provides will contribute to a planned production rate ramp-up to 75 A320-family aircraft a month in 2026.

“The inauguration of this new A321-capable final assembly line in Toulouse represents another milestone in the ongoing modernisation of our global industrial system,” said Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury. “We’re pleased to see this new facility join our worldwide network of final assembly sites which will comprise four FALs in Hamburg, Germany; two in Toulouse, France; two in Mobile, United States; and two in Tianjin, China, all them capable of assembling the A321.”

The first aircraft to be fully assembled at the facility is expected to roll off of the production line by the end of the year. As previously reported by AVweb, Airbus reported last month that it had more than 8,700 orders for A320-family aircraft. Faury noted that the A321 currently makes up around 60 percent of the total A320-family backlog.