FINAL ASSEMBLY WENT GLOBAL
Tianjin opened in September 2008 as Airbus' first final assembly line outside Europe. The Chinese operation was part of a wider network that also included engineering, training and component manufacture. Final assembly is a particular stage in an aircraft's life: joining major sections, installing and testing systems, finishing the aircraft and preparing delivery. It should not be mistaken for the place where every component was designed or made. [227]
Mobile, Alabama, added U.S. A320-family final assembly in September 2015. Airbus opened a second A320 line there in October 2025, alongside the site's A220 line. These dates show the movement from a European workshare to a more global production footprint. In its 2025 announcement, Airbus presented the expansion as part of a future ramp-up; planned production rates in that release remain targets at that date, not accomplished historical totals. [228]
The second A320 final assembly line at Mobile, inaugurated in October 2025. This is a 2025 industrial image, not a photograph of the 2015 opening. Photograph: Airbus newsroom. [228]
Airbus' Mobile production facility as illustrated in the corporate history brochure. The surrounding text discusses the 2015 opening; the photo is not assigned an unverified exposure date. Image: Airbus heritage collection; credits in source p.48. [170, PDF p. 44]