Airbus confirms Jan. 16 groundbreaking for new Mobile assembly line

Airbus Assembly Facility

A320-family jets awaiting delivery to various customers are seen at the Airbus Final Assembly Line in Mobile. (Joe Songer | jsonger@al.com). al.comal.com

Airbus has confirmed that it will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for its new A220 assembly line in Mobile on Wednesday, Jan. 16.

The event, which will not be open to the public, is largely symbolic. In November Airbus announced it had chosen HPM as program manager for the construction project, and the company said at the time that construction on "facilities to accommodate A320 and new A220 production has begun."

However, the ceremony does appear to coincide with the finalization of state and local economic development incentive packages. The Mobile City Council gets its first look at its part of the deal at its Tuesday meeting, setting up a likely vote on Jan. 15. The Mobile County Commission will discuss its share on Thursday, clearing the way for a vote on Jan. 14. An official in the state's Department of Commerce said Monday that the terms of the state contribution would be sealed within days.

While the full estimated value of the incentives remain unknown, the measure being considered by the Mobile City Council says that the city and the county will each provide up to $4 million in reimbursement for construction costs, at a rate of up to $400,000 per year over 10 years. They'll also provide, or support, various tax and fee abatements. The Project Agreement puts the "total capital investment" of building the new assembly line at $210 million.

Airbus already has an extensive campus at the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley, where it assembles the A320 family of jets. The new project will add a second final assembly line (FAL) for the smaller A220 family of jets. That aircraft was developed as the C Series by Canada-based Bombardier, but has been renamed since Airbus took the lead role in a partnership to produce and market it.

Airbus said in November that construction manager HPM "will be responsible for managing all aspects of the design and construction of the new facility, as well as expansion of Airbus' current facilities to accommodate increased A320 family production on the site."

Airbus currently delivers four A320-family jets per month, but the as the company strives to capitalize on strong global demand there has been talk of increasing the production rate. That move would mean more jobs on the current FAL in addition to the 400-plus jobs expected to come with the new A220 FAL.

Company officials have said they expect to deliver their first Mobile-built A220 in 2020. They may start building it before the new FAL is finished: The company said in November that “A220 aircraft assembly is planned to start in 2019, using a combination of the existing and expanded Airbus facilities at Brookley,” it says. “A permanent production process will be established upon completion of an A220 final assembly line building in 2020.”

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