THE PICTURE. Toulouse: Airbus is progressing with the construction of the new A321 assembly line

That was at GTM Sud-Ouest TP GC, a subsidiary of the VINCI Construction Groupairbus entrusted with the work civil engineering for the installation of new assembly line determined to the A321at the Jean-Luc Lagardère plant, former A380 assembly site, in toulouse.

What is this work?

The construction giant describes the work it has been carrying out for the European aircraft manufacturer since spring 2022:

“The works concern the construction of 200 running meters of underground technical gallery, the creation of blocks based on almost 800 micropiles, the meshes under pavement, the niches and gutters for the energy supply of the toolmakers, the construction of the metal structure for fixed environments and the rehabilitation existing premises”.

“The civil engineering work started in May 2022 will end in January 2023″, says Vinci Construction.

A project announced in spring 2021

Airbus announced in spring 2021 that it would relaunch this project modernized assembly line for the A320 Family at Toulouse, which had been suspended a year earlier amid the global Covid-19 crisis following the decision to cut commercial aircraft production by around 40%. It had been restarted thanks to a recovery in emerging markets and a possible return to pre-crisis production rates, then projected “between 2023 and 2025 for single-aisle aircraft”.

The first A321 canal in Toulouse

This Final Assembly Line (FAL) was installed at the former Lagardère site dedicated to the A380, whose production ended in 2021. modernized and digitized for the A320 and A321 will replace one of the current FAL A320s in Toulouse,” Airbus said. According to our information, this new line should be operational in 2023.

“This modernized FAL A320 at Toulouse, which will add a new-generation assembly line to Airbus’ single-aisle production system, will help improve the overall industrial flow, quality, competitiveness and working conditions,” says the aircraft manufacturer .

This increased flexibility must also support the production of the A321 Entry into service of the A321XLR Expected from Hamburg in early 2024, which is currently in the testing phase.

as a reminder Hamburg, Germany) and Cellular (US) are currently the only Airbus production facilities assembling the A321, the newest member of the A320 Family airliner best selling in the world.

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