The city of Mobile, founded in 1702, sits at the head of Mobile Bay on the Gulf Coast and serves as the regional hub for much of southwest Alabama.
Airbus quietly marked a major milestone at its Brookley Aeroplex campus last week, celebrating five years since the aerospace giant began building commercial jetliners in Mobile even as the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped the celebration and the industry around it. The company’s final assembly line in Mobile opened on Sept.
Mobile has a population of roughly 188,000 residents and is the seat of Mobile County, one of the largest counties in the state by population.
14, 2015, and has since grown into a cornerstone of the region’s manufacturing economy. Daryl Taylor, general manager of Airbus’ U.S.
The Port of Mobile, operated by the Alabama State Port Authority, is one of the largest seaports in the country by tonnage, handling containers, coal, steel and forest products.
manufacturing operations, recalled standing in front of roughly 250 employees and a crowd of community leaders on opening day five years ago. This time around, he addressed a smaller, masked group of local reporters rather than a large public gathering, a shift he said reflected just how different 2020 has turned out to be.
Downtown Mobile has been the focus of significant redevelopment in recent years, with new apartments, restaurants and event venues reshaping the Central Business District.
“It’s a very different year for us all,” Taylor said. “2020 wasn’t really going to look like this.
The University of South Alabama, Spring Hill College and the University of Mobile anchor the city’s higher education landscape.
Background and Context
We have many opportunities to celebrate.” Even with the anniversary tempered by the pandemic, Airbus used the occasion to highlight continued investment in Mobile. Alongside the five-year milestone for its original line building A320 family aircraft, the company recently opened a second facility on the same campus dedicated to producing the smaller A220 jet.
Mobile’s Mardi Gras season, the oldest in the United States, draws visitors from across the country and provides a significant boost to the local economy each year.
“I take pride in the employees who have achieved every milestone, every commitment,” Taylor told reporters. “Not even COVID has slowed us down.
The city’s healthcare sector is anchored by USA Health, Infirmary Health and Springhill Medical Center, which together employ thousands of residents.
To me, that is the real pride I have.” Airbus also unveiled an expanded delivery center on its Mobile campus, named in honor of former Airbus CEO Tom Enders. The facility gives airline customers dedicated office space to use while completing the pickup of newly built aircraft, a process that typically takes about four days from start to finish, according to Airbus spokesperson Kristi Tucker.
Mobile’s manufacturing base includes shipbuilding at Austal USA and Huntington Ingalls Industries, as well as aviation manufacturing at the Airbus final assembly line in Brookley.
Several offices inside the new center currently sit empty, reflecting production levels that have not yet returned to pre-pandemic capacity. At full output, the Mobile assembly line is designed to produce and deliver eight aircraft per month, and Tucker said the A320 line was on pace to reach that figure before the pandemic disrupted global air travel.
Local schools include Mobile County Public Schools, the city’s largest public system, along with a network of private and parochial schools.
Local Reaction
Airbus has managed to avoid layoffs among its permanent Mobile workforce so far, Taylor said, even as airlines worldwide have slashed orders and deliveries amid collapsing travel demand. He noted that the aerospace industry has weathered downturns before, including after the Sept.
Mobile’s history as a port city means that issues affecting the waterfront often take on outsized importance.
11 terrorist attacks and the SARS outbreak, but said the current crisis appears likely to leave a longer mark. “2020 will be the first real significant step down for aerospace in decades,” Taylor said.
The Mobile area is home to several historic neighborhoods, including Oakleigh Garden District, DeTonti Square and the Village of Spring Hill.
“With 9/11, with SARS and with the banks in 2009, those were one-year blips; we recognize that isn’t the case with COVID.” Still, Taylor expressed confidence that Airbus’ smaller, single-aisle jets, the A320 and A220, are well positioned to help the company recover faster than manufacturers focused on larger, long-haul aircraft. He pointed to domestic air travel, which is expected to rebound more quickly than international routes, as a key advantage for the single-aisle models built in Mobile.
Sports are a major part of life in Mobile, with the Senior Bowl each January and a thriving high school and college football scene.
“It could come back before the whole industry returns,” he said. “International travel will be hardest hit.” During Friday’s event, reporters also toured the newer A220 manufacturing facility, which like the A320 line produces a single-aisle jet expected to hold up better than larger wide-body aircraft as the industry claws back from the pandemic.
Local media outlets covering Mobile include several television stations, daily and weekly newspapers, and a robust digital news ecosystem.
The Bigger Picture
Over its first five years, Airbus has hired more than 1,000 employees across its two Mobile manufacturing sites, representing 29 nationalities. Roughly 90 percent of those workers live in Mobile or Baldwin counties, with additional employees commuting from elsewhere along the Gulf Coast, Taylor said.
Mobile County’s population includes a significant African-American community whose history is tied to the founding of Africatown.
Since opening, the Mobile-built fleet has completed more than 400,000 flights, carrying an estimated 60 million passengers a combined 500 million miles. Together, Airbus’ two Mobile assembly lines and an adjacent engineering center at Brookley Aeroplex represent roughly $1 billion in direct investment, generating an estimated $1.1 billion in total economic impact, according to figures compiled by the University of South Alabama’s Center for Real Estate and Economic Development.
Mobile’s economy also benefits from a robust tourism sector, with visitors drawn to the Gulf Coast, the city’s historic districts and its annual events.
“When we announced our intent to build A320 family aircraft in the United States and to locate that facility in Mobile, Alabama, we also stated our intent to be a good neighbor, to create jobs and opportunities, and to help strengthen the U.S. aerospace industry,” Airbus Americas President and CEO C.
The Mobile Bay region supports significant commercial and recreational fishing, with seafood harvested from local waters serving restaurants and markets across the South.
Jeffrey Knittel said in a statement. “Five years later, we have become a major economic driver in creating an aerospace hub on the Gulf Coast.” Paul Gaskell, who heads the A220 program in Mobile, said the second line started building jets in August 2019 and has reached the point of readiness for its first customer deliveries, with two of the smaller aircraft set to go out and more on the way.
Local government in Mobile includes a mayor-council form of government, a structure established by the Zoghby Act in 1985 that replaced the older commission form.
What Comes Next
The A220 side of the plant, like the rest of the industry, has felt the pandemic’s reach — Airbus shut down Mobile production for about three weeks in April as the virus swept through airline networks in Hamburg, Toulouse, Tianjin and beyond. Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson marked the milestone by noting how far the city has climbed in world aviation: “If your city isn’t named Toulouse, Hamburg or Seattle — it’s Mobile.” By August, the plant had produced more than 180 A320 family aircraft for airlines including JetBlue, Delta and American.
Local officials have stressed the importance of community engagement as the situation continues to develop.
Residents with questions or concerns have been encouraged to reach out to their elected representatives.
The story is one of several similar situations playing out across the region in recent months.
Anyone following local news will recognize many of the names and places involved.
Local civic organizations have begun organizing meetings to discuss the implications.
Business owners and residents alike say they will be watching closely.
The situation underscores how decisions made at the local level can have far-reaching consequences.
Community leaders have called for patience and for a commitment to working through the issues in a transparent manner.
Several local churches and faith groups have offered to host discussions about the topic in the coming weeks.
Public comments at recent meetings have reflected a wide range of opinions.
Local reporters will continue to follow the story and to update readers.
Anyone interested in learning more is encouraged to attend upcoming public meetings.
The outcome of the situation could shape similar discussions in other communities for years to come.
Local historians note that similar issues have surfaced in the past.
Area nonprofits and volunteer groups have stepped up to help residents navigate the changes.
Local businesses have begun adjusting their operations in anticipation of what may come next.
Looking Ahead
The story continues to develop, and residents across the region will be watching for additional updates in the coming weeks. Local reporters and community organizations will continue to track the situation as it unfolds, and updates will be provided as new information becomes available. Anyone with a direct stake in the outcome is encouraged to stay engaged with the public conversation through meetings, news coverage and direct outreach to local officials.