Airbus is readying to deliver the first A320 passenger jet built in the U.S., capping a global assembly footprint that now touches three continents.
According to a report from Bloomberg, the delivery, which is going to Spirit Airlines Inc., is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 25.
A different Spirit, Spirit AeroSystems Inc. (NYSE: SPR) in Wichita, builds wing components on all A320 variants at its plant in Prestwick, Scotland.
Those components now flow to Airbus’ three final assembly lines for the A320, with its U.S. plant in Mobile, Ala., joining production centers in Europe and Asia in now handing over the aircraft to customers.
Those facilities are located in Toulouse, France, and Tianjin, China.
The Mobile site, which opened in 2015, had previously been producing only A321s, the largest member of Airbus’ A320 family.
That facility opened in close coordination with Airbus Americas Engineering in Wichita, which has responsibilities on all Airbus models that span from design to aftermarket support.