Airbus converts former A380 wing line at Broughton for A321 production
Airbus is spending £150 million to turn its old A380 wing facility in Broughton, Wales, into a line building A321 wings, as it pushes toward higher output of the A320neo family.
Airbus A321 (all variants)Airbus A380Airbus A350Airbus A320 (all variants)
Airbus will spend 150 million pounds, about 175 million euros, converting the former A380 wing manufacturing area at its Broughton plant in Wales into a production line for the A321, the manufacturer said. The first wing is already being built. Airbus expects all assembly jigs to be ready and the conversion finished by the end of the year, having previously set completion for the end of 2026.
Wing work at Broughton has moved on since the A380 era. The first complete A380 wing was lifted out of its jig there on 4 November 2003, and the last one left the plant on 6 February 2020. The site has since produced wings for the A350 and the A320neo family.
Once the rebuild is done, the plant will have six wing assembly jigs, an equipping line and a paint shop, according to Airbus. The company says these are configured to work through an order book of roughly 7,500 A320-family aircraft, about 70 per cent of which are A321s.
The investment is intended to keep the planned production increase on track. Airbus aims to lift the A320neo family build rate to between 70 and 75 aircraft a month by the end of 2027, then hold it at 75. Current output figures were not given in the statement.
Sources
- aerotelegraph.comAirbus investiert in ehemalige A380-Flügelfertigung, um A321-Produktion hochzufahren