Airbus’ Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Tianjin,
China has completed the assembly of its first A321 aircraft.
FAL Tianjin, the first Airbus commercial aircraft
assembly line outside Europe, officially started adaptation work
to become A321 capable in August 2022, its first major upgrade
since operations commenced in 2008.
Since its first A320 delivery in 2009, FAL Tianjin
has delivered more than 600 aircraft over its 14 years in
operation.
FAL Tianjin’s first A321 aircraft is scheduled for
delivery in early 2023.
“Since we announced our plans to expand the
capability of FAL Tianjin to A321 production last November, I am
proud that the Airbus Tianjin team has successfully completed the
relevant adaptation work on schedule by working closely with
European experts and our suppliers to overcome the impact of
COVID19,” said George Xu, Airbus Executive Vice President and
Airbus China CEO. “The commissioning of the first A321 aircraft
underlines Airbus’ commitment to China, marking a new milestone in
the industrial cooperation with our Chinese partners.”
Airbus has four A320 Family assembly facilities
around the world: Toulouse, France; Hamburg, Germany; Tianjin,
China; and Mobile, United States.
By the end of 2022, all commercial aircraft
assembly sites will be A321-capable, as part of the industrial
strategy to de-risk the ramp up and to meet the rising share of
A321 production.
The A321neo is the longest-fuselage member of
Airbus’ single-aisle A320 Family,
seating as many as 244 passengers in a high-density arrangement,
with its longest range reaching 4,700nm/8,700km.
By the end of September 2022,
the A320neo Family has received over 8,500 firm orders from more
than 130 customers worldwide.
