Airbus plans to eat into rival Boeing’s dominance in the US market as it gets set to officially open its first production facility in the US today.
Airbus has about 20% of the US market for new jets but that will increase to 40% based on its current order book.
The Mobile, AL factory will focus on producing single-aisle A321 jets which is outselling the equivalent Boeing model.
"This is where the US market is going," said Barry Eccleston, president of Airbus Americas.
The plant will have capacity to produce four planes a month by late 2017 and could double that to eight ‘with very little adjustment,’ said Timo Zaremba, Airbus product quality manager.
The $600 million facility will eventually employ over 1,000 workers and becomes only the second plant located outside its traditional European base.
We wanted to make the U.S. one of our industrial homes," said Allan McArtor, Airbus Americas CEO, who said current economic turbulence has not cooled demand.
"Demand for the single-aisle is not vulnerable at all. If anything, it is getting more," he said.
The company also touted the plant as the most efficient, driven by lower labor costs in Mobile compared to its European production facilities.
Airbus makes 42 single-aisle planes a month, and expects to boost overall output to 50 planes by the start of 2017, keeping pace with rival Boeing.
