Airbus to build commercial aircraft in Mobile

Posted on: Jul 2nd, 2012 | News and Announcements

Mobile County Commissioners reacted with great excitement today at the news that Airbus will build a commercial aircraft assembly facility at the Brookley Aeroplex. ?This is a real game changer for Mobile County and the whole region,? said County Commission President Connie Hudson. ?Mobile joins very select company as one of just a few communities in the world capable of manufacturing high-tech, large commercial aircraft. We couldn't be more proud of this development, more thankful to Airbus for their partnership, or more excited for the future.? The new Airbus facility will employ 1,000 people. The company already has 225 workers at its engineering center at Brookley that opened in 2007. The Mobile Regional Airport houses an Airbus service center for military aircraft. Airbus? parent company EADS was involved in the effort to build U.S. Air Force refueling tankers in Mobile. EADS and then partner Northrop-Grumman were awarded the bid in 2008 only to have the Pentagon?s decision upheld upon an appeal from competitor Boeing. EADS later bid for the contract without Northrop-Grumman, but was defeated in 2011 by Boeing?s offer. ?We never gave up on EADS and Airbus,? said longtime Mobile County Commissioner Mike Dean. ?The company saw our commitment and how badly we wanted to develop our aerospace industry. Even after we lost Tanker we went back to EADS and said ?you need to be making commercial aircraft in Mobile.?? Mobile County will contribute more than $14 million dollars to the project over the next 19 years in a contract the Commission will vote on in a special meeting July 12th. County Commissioner Merceria Ludgood says it is a sound investment. ?This is a perfect fit with the companies, training centers, and aviation schools we already have at Brookley,? said Ludgood. ?We anticipate many suppliers will locate in the county. We hope to have a thriving aerospace industry for decades to come.? Airbus plans to assemble the A320neo in Mobile. Groundbreaking is scheduled for early 2013. Production should begin in 2015, with the first plane delivered in 2016. At top production, 46 jets a year could be produced in Mobile.