New Delta A321neo becomes Airbus’ 500th US-made aircraft | Airlines

A new Delta Air Lines A321neo has become the 500^th aircraft built by Airbus in the United States (US).

The 500^th Airbus jet was produced at the planemaker’s manufacturing facility in Mobile, Alabama, which first opened in 2015.

The milestone was marked at a special ceremony on August 8, 2024, with Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson, local business leaders and Airbus executives in attendance.

During the ceremony, Airbus North America Chairman and CEO Robin Hayes said: “We’re here to celebrate 500 airplanes, and I can’t believe how quickly that has happened.”

According to Fox 10, Hayes told staff at the event that the facility launched with only 350 employes before growing to over 2,000 today.

Our 500th Alabama-born baby! #TeamAirbus in Mobile today celebrated the 500th aircraft produced at our U.S. Manufacturing Facility — a bright and shiny @Delta #A321neo! Congrats to every #TeamAirbus member responsible for this stellar milestone! pic.twitter.com/XSfFflDrFi

— Airbus in the U.S. (@AirbusInTheUS) August 8, 2024

Plans for a third assembly line at the facility were announced in May 2022, with 1,000 additional vacances needing to be filled for the opening next year.

Once opened, the Mobile Airbus base will become the fourth largest final assembly line of any commercial manufacturer.

Senior Vice President of Commercial Aircraft, Daryl Taylor, who also…