Airbus Confirms Plans for Manufacturing Plant in Alabama
Airbus Mobile Plane Aerial View (image courtesy of Airbus)
In a major strategic announcement today, Airbus said it will establish a manufacturing facility in the United States to assemble and deliver A320 Family aircraft. Located at the Brookley Aeroplex in Mobile, Alabama, it will be the company’s first U.S.-based production facility.
Airbus stressed that the assembly line, which will create jobs and strengthen the aerospace industry, is part of its strategy to enhance Airbus’ global competitiveness by meeting the growing needs of its customers in the United States and elsewhere.
The facility in Alabama will assemble the industry-leading family of A319, A320 and A321 aircraft. The company said construction of the assembly line will begin in summer 2013. Aircraft assembly is planned to start in 2015, with first deliveries from the Mobile facility beginning in 2016. Airbus anticipates the facility will produce between 40 and 50 aircraft per year by 2018.
“The time is right for Airbus to expand in America,” said Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President & CEO at the announcement today in Mobile. “The U.S. is the largest single-aisle aircraft market in the world – with a projected need for 4,600 aircraft over the next 20 years – and this assembly line brings us closer to our customers. Mobile is now becoming part of Airbus’ global production network, joining our successful and growing assembly lines in Hamburg, Toulouse and Tianjin.
“When Airbus aircraft take to the skies, our pride and workmanship will soar along with them,” Alabama Governor Robert Bentley said. “We owe thanks to so many people who helped make this effort a success. This project will create 1,000 stable, well-paying jobs that the people of this area need and deserve. Alabama has the best workforce you’ll find anywhere in the U.S. Airbus has recognized all that this state can offer expanding industries, and the company is making a significant new investment in Alabama. Airbus and its parent company, EADS, have been great citizens of Alabama for years now, and we are excited to build on our wonderful relationship.”
Airbus already has a strong and growing presence in Alabama and throughout the United States. In Alabama, the company operates an Engineering Center in Mobile – also located at Brookley Aeroplex and employing more than 200 engineers and support staff – as well as an Airbus Military customer services operation supporting U.S. Coast Guard aircraft.
In addition, Airbus operates an Engineering Center in Wichita, Kansas; an aircraft Spares Center in Ashburn, Virginia; a Training Center in Miami, Florida, and a regulatory and government liaison office in Washington, D.C. Subsidiary Metron Aviation, a leading provider of advanced Air Traffic Management (ATM) products and services, is based in Dulles, Virginia. Airbus’ headquarters for the Americas are located in Herndon, Virginia. All together, Airbus’ U.S. facilities currently employ more than 1,000 people.
The company said that the new Mobile assembly line, together with associated functions, should create as many as 1,000 new high-skilled jobs.
Airbus’ assembly line in Mobile will add to existing production capabilities by other EADS companies in the United States. For example, American Eurocopter manufactures helicopters at facilities in Columbus, Mississippi and Grand Prairie, Texas, while Cassidian Communications has an assembly plant in Temecula, California.
Airbus
Category: Airnation
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The real reason that they are locating their plant in Alabama is that the FSDO, Alabama, Northwest Florida FSDO is so incompetent and under such incompetent leadership at the local as well as the regional level that there is no telling what will take place in the manufacturing facility at Brookley. Miles O’Brien uncovered some very startling maintenance procedure violations that were overlooked by the BHM FSDO. We can only pray, for the sake of the flying public, that the oversight comes from manufacturing not the totally inept and incompetently managed BHM FSDO.
One of the bad apples has been transferred and with a little luck we can see a turn around if a few more take a hike. They know who they are. So does AAE-1 and Mr. Huerta the ACTING Administrator, as well as John Allen, Peggy Gilligan and others both in DC and in Atlanta.
Wow Ed, you really know a lot about this. Who is Miles O’Brien?
James,
Miles O’Brien is an Investigative Reporter who did a special on a maintenance facility at the same field as the proposed Airbus facility. Brookley in Mobile AL. It was about a year +/- ago. He discovered a cache of hidden unapproved parts as well as employee issues and other rather obvious violations. It wasn’t good. BHM FSDO has the oversight responsibility for that operation. You would think that if a reporter could uncover such violations then what has the FAA been doing?
They have been busy ruining Darby Aviation, Ray Ledbetter (now deceased), Auburn Flight School, Numerous DPE’s, and a large number of Part 135 operators assigned to their area of responsibility, and then they have also come after me, a retired aviation safety inspector. Their case was and is as phoney as their has ever been. They have even used statements like “I could tell by the look on his face” as evidence to prove their case. Kind of brings back memories of the Bob Hoover Fiasco.
It is really time, or rather past time, to close the doors on that operation and move their responsibility to other FSDO’s that at least attempt to look legitimate. Alabama aviation deserves better. Unfortunately we can’t expect any better until the culture is addressed out of 800 Independence and totally reconstructed with honesty, integrity and accountability as the foundation. Retaliation and reprisals are in store for any that disagree or question the inept leadership or even the misconduct that is very common. Then one has to fight the assets of the entire U. S. Government through the FAA.
There is hope that Senator Inhofe’s Pilot Bill of Rights can and will be implemented. Then Due Process may find its way back into the aviation community where it has been trampled for too long.
I can’t tell many stories that include an Alabama aviator that feels he was treated fairly by the management “team” in Birmingham. Lots of unfortunate stories because even the few honest employees are afraid to say anything as they see what is done to those that openly discuss the wrongdoing.
I retired from that office after 12 years as an inspector. Yes, I have quite a bit of insight that nobody in DC, the FAA and even Congress, wants to hear.
So I take it that Airbus is probably getting a ‘sweet’ deal to open an operation there (tax breaks, low-interest loans. regulators who look the other way, etc…)?
I am sure that the Gov. has made it very attractive to do business in Alabama. That is the way it is done to attract a major operation such as Airbus. Nothing wrong or unusual with that. The state and its residents will benefit from the location of the new operation. But as I said, we can only hope that the oversight will come from the Manufacturing side of the FAA, not the FSDO. That will hopefully provide a higher level of safety with the finished product. That is what the concern should be.
Ed, is something like this (oversight) released to the general public as far as who will be the ‘watchdog’?
James, the assignment of oversight is certainly public information, however the FAA doesn’t normally make that a widespread issue. To complicate things a bit, even though the smoke and mirrors within the FAA certainly does a more than adequate job of that, there is a new program in the wind. It has been in the shadows for a year or so and will incorporate the present system of NPG, National Program Guidance and ATOS, Air Transportation Oversight System (900). It will be known as SAS, (Safety Attribute System). The ATOS was ill-conceived and by many within the FAA didn’t provide the levels of safety in the commercial aviation arena as the previous system. Now there is another that remains to be seen as to what benefit it will have in improving aviation safety within the airline industry.
It appears that after an ill-conceived program is implemented within the FAA there is an all out effort within 800 Independence Ave. to come up with something new and probably just as ill-conceived to take its place. It keeps a lot of folks gainfully employed but at what cost. The proof will be in the pudding.
The advantage in this case would come from the assignment of oversight to the 900 group and keep it far away from the incompetence in the Alabama Northwest Florida FSDO. All it will do is get some folks promotions in Birmingham and provide less than acceptable oversight and levels of safety that the American flying public as well as those around the globe have a right to expect coming from a facility under the guidance and oversight of the “safest” system in the world.
If you are an avid reader of AIRNATION NET you have a very clear understanding of the number of emergencies and near disasters that occur on a daily basis. Maybe we should start noting this as the “LUCKIEST” system in the world. I give credit to the improved aviation technology as well as the skill of the crew members that have handled most everything that has come their way, from bird strikes to smoke in the cockpit and warning lights. The FAA would come very low on that totem pole, specifically with oversight of foreign maintenance facilities.
So do these ‘mis-steps’ occur because of government red tape? It sure looks that way.
Yeah, it’s EVERY DAY I’m reading on here that something is going wrong. Kinda scary actually…
I guess ‘mis-steps’ would be the pc version of greed, corruption, incompetence and even malfeasance. I haven’t been pc in many years so I will call it that. It is the red flags not the red tape that continue to pop up that should be of concern to the industry.
The FAA has very seldom been held accountable for these acts. When that stops, then we might see a different approach to safety. When a manager or supervisor can and should be brought to account for HIS or HER ‘mis-deeds’ and aren’t then there are some very serious and potentially deadly results. The FAA mantra now is to hide a problem manager/supervisor/administrative type that has a genuinely troublesome record of the above deeds. They will move an employee rather than admit misconduct and remove them from their position of authority. Or they can retire. But when they are relocated they simply ignore the problem and place the aberrant employee in someone else’s back yard. Nice present for an unsuspecting aviation community.
Congress just sits and watches and that is also a problem. Mr. Huerta told the Senate Confirmation Committee that there was a new office in place to address complaints, whistleblower disclosures and various other issues. He forgot to tell them the office, AAE, was and is a dismal failure established to protect the Administrator from negative or derogatory matters and has failed to address the complaints and whistleblower disclosures like he wanted them to believe. That probably won’t make it to the hearings. Too bad.
The political hacks continue to jeopardize safety and the aviation community by their lack of experience and we just have to sit by and watch. No one wants to see an aviation disaster in commercial aviation. Their are over 500 people killed annually in General Aviation accidents. This number has remained fairly constant even though the flight hours has decreased due to skyrocketing costs of fuel and maintenance. That would be the equivalent of 3-4 B-737s. Wouldn’t you think that would be of some concern to FAA? The NTSB just put on the latest Safety Forum. I thought that the FAA would be doing that across the country. You won’t find many inspectors on the road doing anything. They blew their budget in March or April and that leaves 6 months of reduced travel and inspections. Aviation just will have to fend for itself.
We really would like to see what is hidden behind the FAA logo.
This is some really enlightening stuff you’ve posted Ed. It really makes you think and hopefully people who would otherwise not think about this might when they read it.
Keep it coming when you can.
BTW…our forum will be up soon. :)
Ken
Looking forward to it and hope that the postings can bring improvements to aviation safety and a spotlight on the FAA. A bright light usually uncovers lots of stuff done in the darkness.
I think it will Ed. We are growing this site agressively so there will be a lot of exposure going forward. Glad to have you here. :)