Airbus final assembly line in China delivers its first A321neo

Back in March 2023, Airbus (Toulouse, France) delivered the first A321neo aircraft assembled at its final assembly line Asia (FAL Tianjin) to China’s Juneyao Air airline in Tianjin, China. The aircraft is powered by Pratt & Whitney (East Hartford, Conn., U.S.) GTF engines and features 207 comfortable seats, eight in Business and 199 in Economy class. Its delivery flight is to use a 10% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) blend in support of the green aviation strategy in China. As reported by mrobusinesstoday.com, the A320neo family, “including the A321 variant, makes extensive use of weight-saving composites supplied by Hexcel [Stamford, Conn., U.S.].”

“Since we announced the commissioning of the first A321 aircraft at FAL Tianjin last November [2022], the relevant final assembly activities and tests went on smoothly, showcasing the maturity of FAL Tianjin to quickly adapt to new products,” George Xu, Airbus executive vice president and Airbus China CEO, says. “The successful delivery of the first A321 aircraft enables Airbus to honor the popularity of the aircraft for the China market and beyond — and the consistent trust and support from our customers. Airbus continues to expand and enhance its comprehensive cooperation with China’s aviation industry, underlining its long-term commitment to China to ensure customer proximity while supporting the global commercial aircraft production ramp-up.”

Airbus has four A320 Family final assembly facilities around the world: Hamburg, Germany; Toulouse, France; Tianjin, China; and Mobile, Alabama, U.S. With the conversion of the Tianjin facility last year, and with the newest facility about to complete its transformation in Toulouse, the global industrial system will be fully A321-capable, creating flexibility and agility to meet Airbus’ ramp-up objectives and the rising market success of the A321 model.

Inaugurated in 2008, the FAL in Tianjin it reported to have been the first Airbus commercial aircraft assembly line outside Europe. In the same year, the first aircraft sections arrived on site. Since its first A320 delivery in 2009, Airbus’ FAL in Tianjin has delivered more than 600 aircraft over its 14 years in operation. As of April 2023, Airbus expects to expand the facility’s assembly capacity to produce 75 aircraft/month globally in 2026.

The A321neo is the longest-fuselage member of Airbus’ single-aisle A320 Family, comfortably seating as many as 244 passengers, with a range reaching 8,700 kilometers. Featuring a wide, single-aisle cabin, the A320neo Family offers at least a 20% reduction in fuel consumption and CO₂, as well as a 50% noise reduction compared to previous generation aircraft, thanks to incorporating the latest technologies including new generation engines and Sharklets — wing tip devices made from Hexcel’s HexPly M21E/IMA. By the end of January 2023, the A320neo Family received more than 8,600 firm orders from more than 130 customers worldwide.

Also read, “Airbus commits to A320 rate increase among persisting supply chain concerns,” and “Airbus A321XLR takes off for the first time.”