Friday, May 29, 2015

First shipment leaves Hamburg

A JetBlue tail section is loaded on the BBC Fuji.
Airbus photo
The historic shipment of the first major aircraft sections that will be assembled into the first U.S.-built Airbus jetliner has left Hamburg, Germany. The ship, BBC Fuji, left today and it will take about 20 days for the voyage to the Port of Mobile. The major parts include fuselage sections, wings and other sections that were built at plants in the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Spain made from parts from an international supply chain. They'll be assembled into an A321 jetliner at the Airbus plant that will open soon at the Mobile Aeroplex. The A321ceo will be delivered to customer JetBlue in 2016. "This is a day of celebration as we reach another important milestone in aircraft production in the U.S.," said Fabrice Bregier, Airbus president and CEO. About 200 employees, including some from Mobile who are training in Hamburg, celebrated the milestone. (Source: GCAC, 05/29/15)