Message To Union Leaders Indicates Decision By Year's End

Airbus is mulling a production increasing for its line of A320 airliners, according to labor union representatives.  The labor leaders said Airbus management told them in a recent meeting that production could increase from its current 38 airplanes per month to 44, but did not specify a timeline for the move.

What they did say, according to one union official, is that a decision would be reached by the end of the year, according to a report from the French news service AFP.

Airbus management has already committed to increasing A320 output to 42 airplanes per month by the end of 2012. Company officials said this most recent meeting was only speculative, and that no final decision has been made.

With the large number of orders already on the books for the A320neo, Airbus anticipates that as many as 50 airplanes per month may come off its assembly lines beginning in 2016. The union officials did say that Airbus has no plans to move any production to the U.S., and that it would be a fairly simple matter to expand production at its current European and Chinese facilities.

FMI: www.airbus.com