Airbus inaugurates fourth A320 production line in Hamburg

Airbus has inaugurated the fourth Hamburg, Germany, A320 family production line. Making use of digital technologies and a more flexible industrial setup, the state-of-the-art line is a key enabler for Airbus ramping up the single-aisle program to 60 aircraft per month by mid-2019.

The line features two 7-axis robots for automated fuselage drilling. These robots can drill almost 80% of holes on the upper side of the sections, which improves the ergonomic working environment (see photo). The robots also drill with higher accuracy to ensure a constant level of production quality resulting in less rework. Furthermore, the new line features an innovative layout and the use of mobile tooling platforms that navigate autonomously with laser trackers.

The new technologies and processes applied in the new line were designed and implemented in close coordination with employees and following the principle of Design Thinking. This resulted in a modern and much more efficient working environment with an optimized provisioning of all required materials at the work stations within a range of 3m, shorter walking distances, and already unpacked components ready to mount. Many of the new technologies and processes will be transferred to other Airbus production lines worldwide.

Frank Horch, Hamburg’s Senator of Economy, Transport, and Innovation; and Thomas Jarzombek, Federal Government Coordinator of German Aerospace Policy; witnessed the milestone together with President Airbus Commercial Aircraft Guillaume Faury and 500 distinguished guests at a special ceremony in Hamburg.

“The inauguration of our latest, most modern A320 production line opens a new chapter in efficient, digital aircraft manufacturing,” Faury said. “With these new technologies we are building our aircraft more efficiently, a key enabler for higher production rates.”

The A320 family aircraft are manufactured globally, at Airbus sites in Europe, China, and the US. In addition to the new production line, Airbus also inaugurated a larger and modernized Hamburg A320 family delivery center with more customer areas, more efficient delivery processes, and increased hospitality services.

More than 14,000 A320ceo and A320neo family aircraft have been ordered with more than 8,100 delivered.