More airplane manufacturing jobs are likely coming to the Mobile area.
Mobile is currently the site of an assembly line for French airplane manufacturer Airbus, and it may be getting a second one. That news follows a deal giving Airbus a majority stake in the C series aircraft from Canadian plane maker Bombardier. The C series is similar to the A-320 and A-321 aircraft already manufactured in Mobile. Airbus says they plan to open an assembly line in south Alabama to manufacture the C series planes.
Troy Wayman is the Vice President of Economic Development at the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce. He says the deal could lead to even more growth for the Mobile area economy.
“It does influence supply chains, which could produce jobs, could produce more expansions from an existing supply chain here locally. So it will potentially have a ripple effect that will just continue to grow our aerospace sector and make us even more attractive to aerospace companies that may not even be Airbus-related.”
Wayman says a deal to open a second Airbus assembly line in Mobile is expected to be finalized by the second half of next year. He says there are “regulatory hoops” to jump through but he is confident it will work out.