CSeries to break ground this year

MOBILE, Ala. – Ground will be broken this year for the new Bombardier CSeries assembly line that will be built in Mobile, a move that by 2021 will make Mobile the world's fourth largest jetliner assembly center. The CSeries plant will be next to the Airbus A320 final assembly line at the Mobile Aeroplex as a result of a partnership between the two manufacturers that will be finalized July 1. Rob Dewar, vice president and general manager of Bombardier Aerospace, who becomes head of customer services and engineering July 1, said he expects the first CSeries jetliner built in Mobile to be delivered in mid-2020. Dewar was one of the speakers at the inaugural Southeast Aerospace and Defense Conference, which ended Wednesday. The assembly line in Mobile will build the CS100 and CS300, which have the same assembly process. Dewar said it would take about a year to build the assembly line, which eventually will produce four jetliners per month and employ 400 workers. The Mobile final assembly line will replicate the one in Mirabel, Canada, but Bombardier will use some of the facilities currently used by Airbus, including the paint shop. Thirty-six CSeries are currently in service with three airline customers, and there are currently more than 400 orders for the jetliner. Dewar would not say what the new name for the CSeries will be as a result of the Airbus agreement, but an announcement will be made soon. Speaking before Dewar was Daryl Taylor, vice president and general manager of the Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility. He said the Airbus plant in Mobile has delivered 75 jetliners to seven customers. The most recent was delivered Tuesday to Frontier Airlines. He said the Mobile facility is beginning a new chapter with the CSeries assembly line. He said that by 2021, Mobile will be the fourth largest jetliner manufacturing center in the world, and second largest in North America. About 115 participants from 10 countries attended the Leeham Co./Airfinance Journal conference at the Battle House Renaissance Mobile Hotel and Spa. (Source: GCAC, 06/27/18) Previous