First A320 Built in Airbus' US Facility Takes Flight
The first of Airbus' A320 aircraft that was assembled in the United States took to the air for the first time. The A320, which will eventually be delivered to low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines later this summer, took off from the new Airbus facility in Mobile, Alabama this week.
The four-hour test flight departed from the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley so Airbus could conduct tests on the aircraft's systems and engines.
In 2015, Airbus, which is based in Toulouse, France, announced that it was set to open an assembly plant in Mobile — its first in the United States. In early May of this year, the manufacturer announced that it had begun assembling of this first A320 aircraft bound for Spirit.
Thus far, the only aircraft that have been assembled in its Mobile plant have been A321s which have been delivered to JetBlue and others. Since Airbus began assembling in Mobile in 2015, it has delivered 36 A321s. The Mobile facility is equipped to build three members of the Airbus family — the A319, A320 and A321.