Targets 75 Aircraft per Month by 2026

Airbus rolled out the very first A321neo aircraft completed entirely at its new A320 Family Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Toulouse, France. 

The A321neo will head to its new home with Pegasus Airlines, "the leading low-cost carrier" in its home market of Turkey. It makes for an important milestone for the Toulouse line, having been built in the remains of the former A380 roost named after Jean-Luc Lagardère. The pivot away from the larger, pricier A380 makes sense in a world that can never seem to get enough narrowbody, efficient little airliners. Global demand for the A321neo remains high for the carrier, accounting for nearly 65% of Airbus' A320 Family backlog.

Airbus says that the new aircraft marks "the start of the ramp-up of the new Toulouse FAL, which presages increased output at similar A320 lines in Hamburg Germany, Mobile, Alabama, and Tianjin China. Eventually, the firm plans to pump out 75 A320 family aircraft every month in 2026 and beyond.

The A321neo is the largest Airbus A320neo sibling, offering a solid blend of range, performance, and efficiency. Modern engines and aero aids make for a 20% reduction in fuel burn and CO2 compared to legacy aircraft, with a nifty 50% reduction in noise. To date, Airbus has delivered more than 5,000 of the aircraft since its introduction, shipping them to more than 100 operators around the world.

Pegasus Airlines operates 93 Airbus aircraft, which breaks down to 6 A320ceos, 46 A320neos and 41 A321neos. Today's newborn A321 is the first of 68 on order.

FMI: www.airbus.com