Airbus confirmed this week that commercial aircraft production will resume on schedule at its Mobile manufacturing campus, bringing employees back to the assembly line after a three-week pause tied to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Airbus spokeswoman Kristi Tucker said work would restart Wednesday, April 29, under the same enhanced hygiene and social distancing measures the company put in place before the shutdown. The Brookley Aeroplex facility will return to full staffing, she said, and any employees who had been working remotely during the pause will continue to do so as production ramps back up.
Airbus announced the Mobile production pause on April 6 as the coronavirus outbreak spread across the country, idling the final assembly line where the company builds A220 and A320 family jets for airline customers. The Mobile shutdown mirrored moves the aerospace giant made at two of its facilities in Germany, which were also paused as the company reassessed health and safety protocols across its global manufacturing network.
Airbus took similar action in Europe, halting production and assembly work in France and Spain for four days so it could put stricter health and safety measures in place before restarting operations. Those facilities have since staggered their return to work depending on local conditions. Production and assembly in France has been ramping back up gradually since March 23, while commercial aircraft wing production in the United Kingdom and aircraft assembly work in Spain and Canada remained paused, a reflection of fluctuating parts inventories and evolving government restrictions in each country.
The Mobile campus has become an increasingly important piece of Airbus’ U.S. manufacturing footprint since the plant opened, employing hundreds of workers who build jets for airlines operating throughout North America. A sustained shutdown at the Brookley site would have rippled through the broader Mobile-area economy, affecting suppliers and contractors who depend on the aerospace industry’s presence along the Gulf Coast.
Company officials have said the temporary production pause did not result in layoffs, with employees continuing to be paid during the idle period. The return to production this week signals that Airbus expects its Mobile operations, along with the additional safety protocols now in place, to keep the assembly line running even as the pandemic continues to affect manufacturing schedules elsewhere in the company’s global network.