Airbus Group’s North American military aircraft unit unveiled Tuesday a new 7,500-square-foot component repair facility at Mobile Regional Airport.
The new addition complements the unit’s existing 30,000-square-foot, 45-employee maintenance, repair and overhaul delivery center, which has had a presence in the Port City for 10 years.
The addition of the new component repair facility is expected to improve customer service for the company’s medium and light multi-mission aircraft operators. New services include hydraulic, avionics, composite and structural repairs, painting, component exchange and highly skilled engineering support.
“Airbus Group’s North American military aircraft business has continually increased its capabilities to improve the maintenance of the U.S. fleet with spare parts support, state of the art maintenance, and engineering and technical support services,” said Sean O’Keefe, chairman and chief executive officer of Airbus Group Inc., in a prepared statement.
“This new facility will further reduce turnaround time, increase price competitiveness and enhance customer satisfaction,” O’Keefe said.
The Mobile Regional site was selected originally to house Airbus Group’s North American military aircraft operations, relocated to be closer to the U.S. Coast Guard, its largest customer in the nation. Specifically, it provides provides American operators of the C212 and CN235 tactical transports with the capabilities of a certified Federal Aviation Administration and European Aviation Safety Agency repair station as well as direct support from the aircraft manufacturer.
The facility was last expanded in 2009, to become Airbus Group’s military aircraft MRO delivery center for the United States.
U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne, R-Fairhope, called the occasion another great example of why “it’s an exciting time to be in Southwest Alabama.”
“I welcome Airbus Group’s continued investment in Mobile, and as a Member of the House Armed Services Committee I am excited to see this facility in our community supporting our Coast Guard assets. I look forward to working with Airbus to continue this mutually beneficial relationship,” Byrne said.
Meanwhile, Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson called the facility a “tremendous asset” for both the local community and the U.S. military customers it serves.
“The expansion demonstrates Airbus’ confidence in Mobile and in their local workforce. We welcome this investment as another indication of the outstanding partnership between Airbus and the city of Mobile,” Stimpson said.
An Airbus Group spokesman confirmed late Tuesday the expansion in not expected to impact employment, but declined to provide the cost of the project.
For the unacquainted, Airbus Group’s North American military aircraft unit was actually founded in Virginia in 1984, but was relocated to Mobile in 2005. Since that time, the Airbus Engineering Center was constructed at Mobile Aeroplex in 2007; the military aircraft MRO facility was renovated and expanded in 2009 at Mobile Regional; and ground was broken in early 2013 on the $600 million A320 final assembly line, currently under construction at Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley.
The aerospace giant has indicated that some capabilities at the new repair facility unveiled Tuesday could eventually be leveraged to support the final assembly line after it comes online in 2015.