Airbus has today inaugurated a new Airbus A320 Family final assembly line (FAL) in Toulouse. The ceremony was attended by French Minister of Economy & Finance Bruno Le Maire, French Transport Minister Clément Beaune and other dignitaries.
On Monday (July 10, 2023), Airbus announced the inauguration of a new A320 Family final assembly line (FAL) in Toulouse. The state-of-the art industrial site is also A321 capable and will support Airbus’ commercial aircraft ramp-up. Today’s ceremony was attended by French Minister of Economy & Finance Bruno Le Maire, French Transport Minister Clément Beaune, Minister of State for Industry Roland Lescure, and Minister of State for Territorial Collectivities and Rural Affairs Dominique Faure, as well as hundreds of Airbus team members.
In Monday’s announcement, Airbus’ CEO, Guillaume Faury, said,
“The inauguration of this new A321-capable final assembly line in Toulouse represents another milestone in the ongoing modernisation of our global industrial system. This FAL will contribute to the ongoing production rate ramp-up to 75 A320 Family aircraft per month in 2026, while meeting the increased demand for A321s which currently represents around 60 percent of the total A320 Family backlog. 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 [of] them capable of assembling the A321.” Some innovations at Airbus’ newest FAL include digital production control using tablets and smartphones to reduce paper consumption, automated logistics for parts distribution, and light-weight robots for joining sections. Installed in the former A380 ‘Jean-Luc Lagardère’ assemble building, the new FAL started initial operations at the end of 2022 with the delivery of the first fuselage sections. The first aircraft rollout, an A321, is expected to take place by the end of this year. Between now and 2025 the facility will progressively ramp-up operations, directly employing approximately 700 team members.
Source: Airbus