Airbus (Toulouse, France) celebrated its 500th U.S.-built aircraft at the company’s U.S. manufacturing facility in Mobile, Alabama, where it has been producing aircraft since 2015. Airbus’ aircraft made in Mobile, a Delta Air Lines A321neo, marked the latest production milestone since the company announced it would build a second A320 Family final assembly line in the same location to increase Airbus’ global industrial capacity. The final assembly line is currently under construction and is entering into service next year.

Source | Airbus“This 500th aircraft milestone belongs to our Airbus employees. Their relentless passion and hard work made this achievement possible,” says Daryl Taylor, senior vice president of commercial aircraft operations for Airbus in the U.S. “Our journey has also been supported every step of the way by our community, and by our customers who have put their trust in Airbus. We look forward to continuing to build safe, quality aircraft for our customers in the U.S. and Latin America.”

Since taking delivery of its first Mobile-produced A320 Family aircraft in 2016, Delta has added more than 130 U.S.-produced A320 and A220 Family aircraft to its fleet.

“Delta has been a part of many milestones at Airbus in Mobile, including taking delivery of the site’s 15th and 100th produced A320 Family aircraft, and the first U.S.-built A220 aircraft. We are honored to welcome the 500th U.S.-built aircraft into the fleet,” says Kristen Bojko, vice president-fleet, Delta Air Lines. “We appreciate the ongoing partnership with Airbus and its team in Mobile who help us provide a premium travel experience on fuel-efficient aircraft assembled and delivered in the U.S.”

Airbus delivered its first A320 aircraft from its U.S. facility in 2016. In 2020, the company inaugurated its A220 final assembly line and delivered its first A220 aircraft the same year.

Airbus has more than 2,400 employees across its aircraft production, engineering and U.S. Space & Defense facilities in the Port City. To support the company’s growing industrial capacity, some Airbus suppliers have started operations in the region, adding to employment opportunities to strengthen the local economy.