The first delivery of an A320 aircraft from the
Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility has taken place in Mobile,
Alabama, USA.
The aircraft, delivered to Spirit Airlines, is the
37th overall delivery from the U.S. facility since production
began in July 2015. The previous 36 aircraft were A321 aircraft,
making this delivery another important milestone for Airbus.
“Spirit Airlines is honored to receive the first
Airbus A320 made in America,” said Ted Christie, Executive Vice
President and Chief Financial Officer of Spirit Airlines. “Our
106th aircraft, 650NK, will join Spirit’s growing Fit Fleet, the
youngest and most fuel-efficient in the country. This new aircraft
shows our commitment to delivering the cleanest, state-of-the-art
aircraft to our customers as we continue to offer the lowest fares
in the industry.”
Airbus
announced its commitment to build a single-aisle assembly line in
Mobile, Alabama in July 2012, and broke ground for the 600
million facility in April 2013. The ceremonial inauguration of the
plant took place in September 2015. Airbus anticipates delivering
four aircraft per month from the Mobile plant by the end of this
year.
In addition to hundreds of new Airbus jobs the
project has brought to the local community, the Mobile area has
seen many Airbus suppliers open new facilities in the region,
providing even more employment and a parallel boost to the local
economy. More than 85% of the
employees at the Airbus manufacturing facility are from the Gulf Coast region, with nearly one third
being U.S. military veterans.
Bob Lekites, Executive Vice
President-Customers, Airbus Americas said, “Airbus has reached
another milestone in Mobile - delivery of the first A320 to be
produced in the United States. Without a doubt, the A320 Family of
aircraft meets the needs of our North American airline customers,
and the 36 A321s already delivered from the U.S. have an extra
special meaning for those airlines and their passengers. We’re
pleased to celebrating this milestone with a great partner - Spirit
Airlines.”
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