500th US-made Airbus is an A321neo for Delta Air Lines
August 10, 2024
On 8 August, 2024, the Airbus in the U.S. Twitter account celebrated what it called “Our 500th Alabama-born baby!” The company announced that TeamAirbus in Mobile was celebrating “the 500th aircraft produced at our U.S. Manufacturing Facility — a bright and shiny Delta A321neo!”
Delta has received more than 130 aircraft from the Mobile facility since it took delivery of its first US-produced A320 in 2016. The Delta aircraft also include A220s, whose final assembly line opened in 2020.
The 500th US-assembled Airbus jetliner was produced at the company’s manufacturing facility in Mobile, Alabama, and was ceremonially rolled out at a special event on 8 August, 2024, with local Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson, local business leaders and Airbus executives in attendance.
During the ceremony, Sandy Stimpson said: “Ten years ago, we had never even built an airplane in Mobile. Today, we’ll be delivering the 500th airplane out of this facility. And that is amazing.”
Airbus North America Chairman and CEO Robin Hayes said: “We’re here to celebrate 500 airplanes, and I can’t believe how quickly that has happened.” Hayes told those at the event that the facility had launched in 2015 with just 350 employes compared to more than 2,000 today.
Senior Vice President of Commercial Aircraft, Daryl Taylor, said: “We look forward to continuing to build safe, quality aircraft for our customers in the US and Latin America.”
The Mobile assembly line currently builds some 60 A220, A319, A320 and A321 narrowbody aircraft annually, on two lines, but expansion is planned. Plans for a third assembly line were announced in May 2022. This Is due to open next year, but will require 1,000 additional employees, and will make Mobile the fourth largest commercial airliner final assembly line.
