Airbus is pausing commercial aircraft production at its site in Mobile, Alabama, in response to the Coronavirus pandemic.
The measure is set to begin this week, although no specific date has been announced. It is expected to last until April 29. The company is assembling A220 and A320 family single aisle airplanes at the United States plant.
Furthermore, Airbus is suspending its commercial aircraft production activities in Stade and Bremen until April 11 and April 27 respectively, with only some ‘key business support services’ continuing.
This announcement by the European aircraft manufacturer comes one day after American competitor Boeing extended its production suspension in Washington state for an indefinite period of time. Boeing’s manufacturing stop in the area has been in effect since March 25. Work at the 787 production site in South Carolina was still going on at the time of Airbus’ statement, but will be suspended from Wednesday, April 8, Boeing said on Monday afternoon.
Last month, Airbus briefly paused aircraft production and assembly work in France and Spain for a period of four days, while implementing new measures to prevent a spread of Covid-19.
It is unclear how severe upcoming aircraft deliveries from both Airbus and Boeing would be affected. However, due to the significant impact this Coronavirus crisis is having on passenger flights, many airlines are looking to delay their orders and therefore receive new aircraft at a later point in time.
Follow us on Twitter for the latest updates on Coronavirus and its impact on aviation.
Jakob Wert is an aviation journalist from Germany. He built up the website IFN.news and is the Editor-In-Chief of International Flight Network.
