Airbus Targets Record A320 Production by 2027 with New Global Assembly Lines

With a backlog exceeding 8,600 aircraft the Airbus A320 family has enough orders to keep it going for at least the next decade. However, getting those planes faster to clients is also of great importance. Particularly in the current aviation landscape with aircraft shortage this is key to delivering growth for many airlines and the entire industry. And aiming to that goal, Airbus is increasing A320 production rates with a two year ambitious goal.

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Airbus’ Ambitious Goal: 75 A320 Family Aircraft per Month

Airbus has, as corporations often do, named its goal and plan as “Rate 75”. Exactly as the name gives off the manufacturer is planning to increase the number of A320 family planes produced to a monthly rate of 75 aircraft globally.

Considering how complex an aircraft is to produce that is a huge number of planes to be delivered every single month. Also bear in mind that isn’t the overall number of planes Airbus will produce but only for the A320 family.

The A321neo: The Star Driving the Ramp-Up

The star of the show is the A321neo of course. In recent years the largest variant of the A320 family has raked in massive order numbers. It has become the go to plane for many airlines on high capacity short and medium haul operations and more recently also become central in many long haul operations too.

Thanks to the A321LR and A321XLR Airbus has been able to tap into the long haul on narrow body aircraft market. One that it has been dominating due to the absence of true competitors from other manufacturers.

A Global Network of New Final Assembly Lines

Driving up and closer to that 75 aircraft per month production level the A320 family has involved opening up new final assembly lines across the globe. Airbus has opened up brand new assembly lines in the key strategic facilities of:

• Mobile, Alabama (US)
• Tianjin, China
• Hamburg, Germany
• Toulouse, France

Further facility expansions will be necessary in the coming 2 years to bridge the gap to those 75 A320 family planes per month.

Revamping Toulouse: The Former A380 Line Reborn

The most special of the facility upgrades I mentioned is the Toulouse one though. Toulouse isn’t a new facility expansion but a repurposing of a very special one.

The new A320 family final assembly line opened in Toulouse used to produce the largest passenger aircraft to ever fly, the A380.

Facilities previously used to produce the A380 have been repurposed to produce what is Airbus’ most popular and successful aircraft type, the A320.