Airbus has inaugurated its new A320 Family final assembly line (FAL) in Toulouse, located in the former ‘Jean-Luc Lagardère’ assembly building, which was used for A380 operations.
The FAL started operations at the end of 2022 with the delivery of the first A320 fuselage sections, with roll-out of the first aircraft fully assembled in this facility – an A321 – expected by the end of this year. Airbus says the site will progressively ramp up operations between now and 2025, directly employing around 700 workers.
Airbus has added a number of innovations to this latest A320 Family FAL, with the aim of maximising product quality and efficiency, and establishing new standards for health, safety and sustainability. These innovations include digital production control using tablets and smartphones to reduce paper consumption, automated logistics for parts distribution, and lightweight robots that join aircraft sections.
“The inauguration of this new A321-capable final assembly line in Toulouse represents another milestone in the ongoing modernisation of our global industrial system. This FAL will contribute to the ongoing production rate ramp-up to 75 A320 Family aircraft per month in 2026, while meeting the increased demand for A321s, which currently represents around 60% of the total A320 Family backlog,” said Airbus CEO, Guillaume Faury.
“We’re pleased to see this new facility join our worldwide network of final assembly sites which will comprise four FALs in Hamburg, Germany; two in Toulouse, France; two in Mobile, USA; and two in Tianjin, China, all capable of assembling the A321,” added Faury.
