MOBILE, Ala., 3 July 2012. Airbus executives have elected to grow the company’s presence in the U.S., having just revealed plans to open an A320 aircraft family assembly line in Alabama. The upcoming facility will mark the company’s first aircraft assembly and deliver facility in the U.S.; however, Airbus is not new to the U.S.
Airbus already operates an Engineering Center at the Brookley Aeroplex in Mobile, employing more than 200 engineers and support staff, as well as an Airbus Military customer services operation supporting U.S. Coast Guard aircraft. Airbus also operates an Engineering Center in Wichita, Kan.; an aircraft Spares Center in Ashburn, Va.; a Training Center in Miami, Fla., and a regulatory and government liaison office in Washington, D.C.
Airbus subsidiary Metron Aviation, a provider of air traffic management (ATM) products and services, is based in Dulles, Va.
Airbus' headquarters for the Americas are located in Herndon, Va. All together, Airbus' U.S. facilities currently employ more than 1,000 people. The new Mobile assembly line, together with associated functions, should create as many as 1,000 new high-skilled jobs in the U.S., says a company spokesperson.
Airbus' assembly line in Mobile will also add to existing production capabilities by other EADS companies in the U.S. American Eurocopter manufactures helicopters at facilities in Columbus, Miss., and Grand Prairie, Texas, while Cassidian Communications has an assembly plant in Temecula, Calif.
Airbus is the largest export customer for the U.S. aerospace industry, says a spokesperson. The company has spent $127 billion with U.S. suppliers since 1990; $12 billion was spent last year alone.
Airbus also partners with U.S. suppliers in more than 40 states.
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