Airbus achieves a global first with its hot A320

With little fanfare, Airbus SE is about to mark an unusual milestone in aviation: simultaneous production of the same aircraft on three continents. The company will hand over the first A320 to roll out of its Mobile, Alabama, assembly plant on Aug. 25, meaning North America will join Europe and Asia in producing the most popular airliner in the world. The Alabama facility opened in 2015 and has thus far produced three dozen of Airbus’s larger A321. The first US-built A320 will be handed over Friday to Spirit Airlines, which has ordered 98 of the planes. By year’s end, Airbus plans to reach a production rate of four aircraft per month at the Mobile facility. “The sun never sets on Airbus manufacturing!” company spokeswoman Mary Anne Greczyn wrote in an email. “Internationalization, coming closer to our customers, and a global industrial footprint are part of our overall strategy.” Airbus opened its first assembly plant outside Europe in 2008 in Tianjin, China, where it produces A319s and A320s; European A320 production takes place in Toulouse, France. The European company is also building a completion center in Tianjin for wide-body A330 models.<br/>