At a community event on Monday (9) afternoon, the governor of the state of Alabama, accompanied by Airbus leaders, announced expansion plans for the Mobile plant.
Kay Ivey, Alabama’s governor since April 2017, noted that the latest expansion project calls for the addition of a third final assembly line – FAL for short – at the European giant’s Mobile factory. This new line will seek to increase the production of A320 family aircraft.
The expansion will lead to the creation of around 1,000 new jobs. The Mobile plant currently employs around 1,200 people. To this end, Alabama’s technical education and workforce training institutes are pursuing new recruitment initiatives.
The new FAL will cover an area of about 32,500 square meters.
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“It is wonderful to see Airbus continue to expand what is its only U.S. plant,” Ivey said. “This growth is made possible by the company’s skilled workforce and our commitment to educating future aerospace workers.”
Ed Castile, deputy secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce, noted, “Airbus has been an outstanding partner, and we work together on a daily basis. We see Airbus as the tip of the spear for the continued growth of the aerospace industry in our state,” he added.
“The fact that Mobile is leading our worldwide production increase fills me with pride,” said C. Jeffrey Knittel, president, and CEO of Airbus Americas. “Pride in our employees in Mobile, and also in the state’s leaders, who make Alabama a great place to invest and do business.”
The first A320 manufactured in Alabama rolled off the production line in 2015. Production of the A220, the European conglomerate’s most modern product, began in 2019. Airbus has invested more than $1 billion in its Alabama manufacturing plant.
