Since its launch in 2015, Airbus' plant in Alabama has been extremely successful.

Airbus' Mobile, Alabama factory recently delivered its 100th Delta Air Lines aircraft since its first delivery six years ago.

The Airbus factory in Mobile was opened in 2015 and, in seven years, has reached the milestone of 100 deliveries, despite being hit with a massive global pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic hit the manufacturing business significantly, and production numbers were reduced.

The Mobile site makes two aircraft, the Airbus A220 (previously the Bombardier C Series aircraft) and the A320 family. When Airbus acquired the C Series project and 75% of Bombardier, some A220 production was transferred from Canada to the United States.

The Mobile plant did not have to lay employees off during the pandemic. Worldwide, there is still a short supply of aircraft, and backlogs continue to grow significantly. In May, Airbus announced it would add 1,000 jobs in Alabama, meaning there would be enough human resources to add a second assembly line for the A320 family.

Five days ago, Airbus in Alabama reached a significant milestone with one of its major customers in the United States, Delta Air Lines. Delta is currently the largest operator of the A220 family in the United States. Since its opening in 2015, Airbus Alabama has delivered 88 aircraft from the A320 family and 12 A220s to Delta. The 100th Delta aircraft produced in Mobile was an A321neo configured for Frontier Airlines. The A321neo was equipped with Pratt & Whitney engines and will receive a cabin transformation. Frontier set the cabin for 240 passengers, and Delta says it will reduce the capacity to 194 passengers in a three-cabin configuration.

According to The Points Guy, Daryl Taylor, Vice President and General Manager of the Mobile plant, said that in the future, all Airbus narrow bodies for American carriers will be produced in Alabama. Currently, the demand is too high, and the Mobile plant cannot make all the narrow bodies on order from the American airlines.

The Mobile plant opened in 2015 and delivered its first aircraft, an A321, to JetBlue in 2016. Since its first delivery, almost 350 aircraft have been delivered to airlines throughout the United States and a few leasing companies. The plant's first A220 delivery occurred in 2019, and the plane went to Delta. Within the next two years, Airbus hopes to reach a monthly production of 75 A320 family aircraft and 14 A220 family aircraft. With the growth experienced and the number of employees hired, this goal may not be difficult to reach.

During September, Airbus delivered 55 aircraft to 31 customers, bringing its year-to-date total to 437 aircraft. Airbus was able to reduce its backlog slightly, but there are almost 7,300 aircraft in the backlog. The most popular Airbus aircraft is the A321neo, followed by the A320neo, which accounts for 32% of the total number. Previously, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury committed to delivering 700 aircraft in 2022. After three quarters, Airbus has only delivered 437 of the 700 committed, setting the airline up for a problematic but potentially monumental fourth quarter.

US Lead - Lukas flew for the first time before his first birthday and has loved aviation since his earliest memory. He combines a passion for aviation, storytelling, and photography. Based in Colorado Springs, United States.

Your voice matters. Discussions are moderated for civility.