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Airbus Inaugurates First U.S. Final Assembly Line in Mobile, Alabama - Photos & Stort

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Airbus opened its first U.S. Assembly line for the A320 family - the first for the European manufacturer and the first jetliner built on U.S. soil by a foreign owned company. (airwaysnews.com) More...

Chris Sloan
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preacher1
preacher1 5
Well, they bought out McDonnell-Douglas and got fat and happy with no stateside competition. I don't believe they'll do that with these folks. Just as there are Boeing drivers that couldn't stand to look at an MD product of any kind, those same feelings are there for the Bus. Good or bad, they are here to stay. Suck it up and get over it.
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yr2012
matt jensen 1
I agree. I was a Douglas fan since C47 days. Never a Boeing fan until the 727.
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preacher1
preacher1 1
I have heard everybody talk about that one but never had the pleasure. I went from the 707 straight into the 757. That was my baby for about 23 years.
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warmels
Arnold Warmels 2
Kafir us is not the first European manufacturer on US Soil; Anthony Fokker did that in 1927. And build the Fokker F27a which was later copied by Ford Motor. Hopefully, the initiative for Airbus will keep aviation a competive market for jobs in the USA.
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nasdisco
Chris B 2
I have been privileged to have an inside view as other European manufacturers established factories in the US, especially BMW. The positive effect they have on the region around them is amazing. Good luck to Airbus.
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preacher1
preacher1 3
It's simply amazing. You can look at foreign factories from today and look at ours 30-40 years ago and the bottom line is, we just got lazy and work ethic went to blazes. They are doing things the way we used to. All I ever heard growing up from my dad was that I want you to have it better than I did. He said he had heard it from his dad. I figure to some degree folks overseas are hearing it too. In years to come, they'll be the same way.
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khaiduk
Kevin Haiduk 1
There is some Chinese saying I heard once that family wealth on last three generations.
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vdi74
James T 1
https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/airbus-offers-sneak-peek-inside-alabama-a320-factory-416669/
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warmels
Arnold Warmels 1
Of course I mean Airbus, spellchecker screwed it up.
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mikeharbour
Mike Harbour 1
I wonder if Airbus will find the same issues Mercedes did when the latter opened its SUV plant in 'Bama years ago; the first-gen vehicles built there had some serious quality issues. Apparently, the company turned things around there and the products are leaving there much improved.
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preacher1
preacher1 1
More than likely they will as with any new operation, regardless of what it is or who it belongs too. That is what the company and it's managers are for, to straighten out teething problems.
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mikeharbour
Mike Harbour 1
Oh, I'm well aware of the company and its managers are supposed to do...unfortunately, unlike an SUV, you can't really pull an airliner over to work on it in the air! Of course, production tempo is going to be so slow that QA/QC should be close to perfect. It's not like Airbus will be really shooting these single-aisles like Boeing does in Renton (52 a month by 2018!).
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preacher1
preacher1 1
I am well aware of the SUV thing, and as you said, tempo will be bad slow, at least for awhile.
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tgsherer
Tom Sherer 1
Alabama and its Elected Officals continue to demonstrate they are STILL dis-Loyal to the United States of America. The sole purpose for this plant is to qualify AirBus for competitive bidding on DOD contracts. Most of those contracts' $$ will employ Euro workers, not American. Sorry, I don't believe in "free? trade".
Our Country has to be able to control its own military supply chain. Presently, we cannot make our own shirts, or tool our own bolts or etc., et al. ad naseum.

As Commenters before have noted about the swallowing of MD by Boeing should never have been allowed to occur.

IF we ever have a war with China, we lose. They have all of our mills and tool & die and rare Earths and ... But, our C-levels are getting massive Bonuses.
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honzanl
honza nl 1
yes, and you probably then also want other countries to buy their own stuff? so no more US military stuff for Europe? No exports for US weapons? Oh no, then you complain about protectionism.
The reason you lose from China is because you spend more than you earn, by the trillions. So they own you already....
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preacher1
preacher1 1
Well, by their own admission, this qualifies them for the Ex-Im bank. I think that is in the story. I personally don't think it will be many years before that brand is in our military. They had MD and Boeing. At some point the will have Boeing and Airbus.
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