Less than two months after the start of structural assembly of the rear and centre fuselages in Germany, Airbus teams are taking another significant production step with the structural assembly and system equipment of the nose and front fuselages at its Saint-Nazaire facility in Western France.
Six fuselage sections arrived per road convoy from Stelia Aerospace at Airbus Saint-Nazaire on 1st July. Here they will be assembled in the coming weeks including system equipment and flight test instruments installation in the third quarter 2021.
“This is a key milestone for the A321XLR. We are on track to support the aircraft’s entry into service by 2023” said Martin Schnoor, head of A321XLR programme development airframe programme.
Sébastien Verger, A321XLR project management, Airbus Saint-Nazaire, added: “We were able to anticipate the structural and systems assembly phases of this first fuselage with our full length physical mockup allowing us to test in advance the A321XLR’s structural and systems modifications and to prepare the assembly phases.”
The first fully assembled and equipped nose and front fuselage will be delivered from Saint-Nazaire to Hamburg for the final assembly of the first A321XLR flight test aircraft in the fourth quarter.
The A321XLR is the next step in the evolution of the Airbus single-aisle family. It builds on the overall Airbus commonality while adding the Xtra Long Range capability, increased revenue payload and better travel experience through the Airbus Airspace cabin.
The entry into service is targeted for 2023.
