Airbus Nears Completion of Second A320neo Assembly Line in Alabama
Airbus A320neo. Photo courtesy of Airbus
MOBILE, AL—Airbus is in the final stages of completing a second final assembly line (FAL) for its A320neo family aircraft at its U.S. manufacturing facility in Mobile, Alabama. Originally scheduled to open in Q2 2025, the new line is now expected to be fully operational by the third quarter, expanding Airbus's industrial footprint in the United States.
The update was shared by Robin Hayes, CEO of Airbus Americas, during the MRO Americas conference in Atlanta. He confirmed that installation is progressing quickly and the line will soon be up and running.
The Mobile facility, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, began with a single A320 line and added an A220 line in 2020. The addition of the second A320neo line marks a major milestone in Airbus's effort to boost output and meet strong market demand.
Airbus aims to ramp up combined A220 production at its Mobile and Mirabel (Canada) sites to 14 aircraft per month by 2026. However, meeting that goal may prove difficult: only 17 A220s were delivered in Q1 2025, and just 75 in all of 2024.
Despite ongoing global supply chain challenges—Airbus remains optimistic about meeting its 2025 delivery target of 820 aircraft, up from 766 in 2024.
Importantly, the company confirmed that current delays are not due to engine shortages. Deliveries of Pratt & Whitney engines remain on track, with bottlenecks now attributed to other areas within the supplier network.
More about the A320neo:The NEO (New Engine Option) is available for the A320 Family’s three largest versions: the A319neo, A320neo and A321neo. There is a choice of two advanced turbofan engines: the Pratt & Whitney GTF™; and the LEAP-1A from CFM International. The NEO versions also feature Airbus’ large, fuel-saving wingtip devices known as Sharklets™.
With these enhancements, A320neo Family aircraft benefit from 20% fuel burn reduction when compared to previous-generation aircraft (and up to 30% for the A321XLR), along with additional flight ranges and extra payload.
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