Airbus to upgrade A320 production facilities in Toulouse

Airbus has resumed work on the modernisation of its A320 industrial capabilities in Toulouse.

The manufacturer said the decision would provide increased flexibility throughout its global industrial production system to respond to market recovery and future demand. The modernised, digitally-enabled A320/A321 final assembly line will replace one of the original Toulouse A320 line.

It will be installed in the former A380 Lagardère facility and should be operational by end 2022. Initial plans to introduce A321 production capabilities in Toulouse were put on hold at the outset of the Covid-19 crisis, following the decision to reduce commercial aircraft production by around 40 per cent.

Now, with market recovery in sight and a potential return to pre-Covid production rates for single-aisle aircraft between 2023 and 2025, Airbus is resuming its activities for the project.

Hamburg and Mobile (Alabama) are currently the only Airbus production sites configured to assemble A321s.

The modernised A320 assembly line in Toulouse will help improve the working conditions, the overall industrial flow as well as the quality and competitiveness by adding a new-generation assembly line to the Airbus single-aisle production system.

This higher level of A321 production flexibility will also support entry-into-service of the A321XLR from Hamburg starting in 2023.