Contributor - Europe

Cathy Buyck

Airbus on Tuesday said it will start producing the largest variant of its narrowbody family in Toulouse, ending months of speculation about&nbsp;how the European airframer would use the ‘Lagardère’ hall that now assembles the A380s and whose production will stop at the end of 2021. The decision to install an A321 final assembly line (FAL) in Toulouse also dashes the hopes of Airbus’s German division to keep the European production capabilities of the A321 under its wings at Hamburg.&nbsp;

 


Airbus has eight A320 family aircraft FALs globally—four in Hamburg, two in Toulouse, one in Tianjin, China, and one in Mobile, Alabama—although at present the A321 gets assembled and delivered from only Hamburg and Mobile, to mainly U.S. customers.&nbsp;The company said it selected Toulouse for the new A321 line for several reasons such as “overall competitiveness, time to market, investment cost, available floor space, and resources.” A source close to the decision told AIN that the OEM’s new top management, in place since last year, also considered the need to increase industrial flexibility, efficiency, and stability of A321 assembly.&nbsp;The Hamburg site nonetheless will keep most of the model’s production, the person said.&nbsp;

 


The strategy to bring the assembly and delivery closer to the customers will most likely also prompt an analysis of a rate increase of the Tianjin FAL, which currently assembles just six single-aisle jets per month. Asia accounts for 35 percent of the Airbus commercial aircraft order book.

 


Airbus expects the Toulouse A321 FAL to become operational in the second half of 2022 and integrate the latest technologies, including a high level of digitization and robotization that will mirror innovation introduced at the Hamburg FAL opened last fall.

 


The overall single-aisle industrial capacity at Toulouse will remain “flat,” Airbus said, because the oldest A319/A320 assembly line will close for renovation when the new A321 FAL opens. Narrowbody production in Toulouse will gradually shift from A319s and A320ceos to Neos. “We are enjoying an unprecedented high demand for our winning A320neo family and especially its A321 Long Range (LR) and Extra Long Range (XLR) derivatives,” said Airbus COO Michael Schoellhorn. “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.”

 


At the end of December, Airbus’s orderbook showed it had won orders for 15,315 A320 family jets, including 7,188 A319/A320/A321neos for 113 customers. Of those, 21 customers expect to take 417 A321XLRs, scheduled to become available starting in 2023. The European airframer delivered 641 A320 family jets in 2019, including 551 Neos. While initially a niche product, the A321 now accounts for 40 percent of the order backlog of the A320 family.

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

Airbus To Produce A321s in Toulouse from 2022

The new digitally enabled narrowbody final assembly line will replace the current A380 facility.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charlotte Bailey

News and issues about aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), covering all segments of the aviation industry; and modifications for aircraft and engines. Subjects include product support of aircraft, engines and avionics, MRO company mergers, acquisitions, announcements and personnel, Airworthiness Directives, Supplemental Type Certificate approvals and other topics.

News and information on safety procedures and concerns.

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

ATR 72 aircraft performs pre-modification flight in Toulouse

Kepplair Starts Converting ATR 72 Into Water Bombers

Curt Epstein

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Only the piston aircraft segment posted a decline

GAMA: Bizjets, T-props, and Rotorcraft Deliveries Up

Hanneke Weitering

Two captains held the prototype 33 feet above the water for 30 seconds

Regent Flies Electric Seaglider with Crew for First Time

News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

Icing approval would open year-round service to northern communities

Horizon Begins Icing Tests for Cavorite X7 eVTOL

Kerry Lynch

Deal to close this year

Bombardier To Grow Manufacturing Capacity with MHICA Buy

David Donald

Essential news and analysis on the defense aerospace business. Your trusted source for new and ongoing programs and requirements in military aircraft (manned and unmanned), engines, avionics, weapons and associated systems, including ground-based air defense.

The two NATO allies will purchase seven of the tanker/transport aircraft

Spain and Poland Agree to Buy A330MRTT Tanker Transports

News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

GE Aerospace has tested the GE9X, Leap 1A, Leap 1B, and more with the 747.

GE Aerospace Flies Boeing 747 To Test New Engine Tech

Charles Alcock

News about commercial airlines, including regulations, aircraft orders, safety, acquisitions, and mergers.

News about environmental issues relating to aircraft operations, including noise issues, emissisions, and regulations. See Fuel for biofuel.

In this article

Airbus A320 Series

Airbus

More In Aircraft