DALLAS — Airbus has opened a new A320 Family final assembly line (FAL) in Toulouse, which will contribute to the ramp-up of the production rate to 75 A320 Family aircraft per month by 2026, according to Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by the CEO and several French ministers and Airbus employees. The new FAL features digital production control, automated logistics, and lightweight robots for joining sections. It is capable of assembling the A321 and will be the eighth such facility in the Airbus network, joining four FALs in Hamburg, two in Mobile, and one in Tianjin.

Airbus opened its first U.S.-based commercial aircraft manufacturing facility in Mobile, Alabama in 2015, which added around 1,000 jobs. American Airlines (AA) is the largest operator of A320 aircraft with 469 in its fleet as of 2019.

The new Toulouse FAL is expected to employ around 700 workers and will establish new standards for health, safety, and sustainability, according to the CEO.

The first fully-assembled aircraft, an A321, is expected to be rolled out by the end of this year. The A320 Family aircraft is the most modern and best-selling single-aisle fleet in the world.

Featured image: Airbus inaugurates new Toulouse A320 Family final assembly line. Photo: Airbus

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