Check out the $600 million Alabama factory where Airbus builds jets for American, Delta, and JetBlue
The Airbus A320 final assembly line or FAL in Airbus parlance is a 53-acre facility just a few minutes drive from downtown Mobile.
Business Insider had the chance to visit the facility as part of the groundbreaking festivities of a new Airbus A220 production line.
Our first stop was the delivery center. It's where airlines pick up their new planes.
Here's an unobstructed view of the delivery center.
We didn't take delivery of any new planes. But, we did attend a press briefing with senior Airbus executives including (L to R) America's CEO Jeff Knittel, Commercial Airplanes president Guillaume Faury, Group CEO Tom Enders, and A220 program boss Philippe Balducchi.
Looking out from the delivery center, we see jets bound for Delta, Spirit, and Frontier.
There's also an Airbus A321neo awaiting some finishing touches. Soon, it'll be flying for Hawaiian Airlines.
Here's what it'll look like once finished.
Other airlines to take delivery of planes from the factory include American and...
...JetBlue.
The Airbus facility also includes a paint shop and a transshipment hangar where parts are gathered before being moved onto the assembly line.
Parts of the A320-family come from factories around the world. For example, the vertical stabilizer is made in Germany.
While the forward fuselage is made in France. In addition, the wings are made in the UK while the horizontal stabilizers are made in Spain.
Here's the assembly hangar.
The Mobile assembly plant opened for business in 2015.
In April 2016, Airbus delivered its first Mobile made aircraft, an A321ceo, to JetBlue.
The first thing you notice is just how clean and neatly organized the assembly line is.
On the wall is a rundown of US airlines that fly Airbus jets.
Another reminder this isn't Toulouse or Hamburg.
The factory is structured to have parts enter the hangar on one end and...
...Exit as assembled aircraft on the other.
Here's a rear fuselage that is waiting to be...
...Merged with the forward fuselage.
As the aircraft moves down the line, more and more bits are installed onto the fuselage.
Such as wings and...
... Landing gear.
On the far end, there is what looks to be an Airbus A321 bound for Delta Air Lines.
According to Airbus Americas CEO Jeff Knittel, the A320 line produces an average of four and a half planes a month.
Knittel expects production to be at five planes a month by the end of 2020.
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