Airbus Invests £150 Million to Expand UK A321 Wing Production Line

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 21, Airbus announced an investment of £150 million to convert the former A380 wing production facilities at its Broughton plant in North Wales, UK, into an A321 wing production line. The conversion project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2026. Production of the first wing set has already begun, and all production tooling will be put into operation by the end of the year. The new line will serve the manufacture of A321-series aircraft including the A321neo, A321LR and A321XLR, and will support Airbus's global production increase for the A320 family.

The converted facility will be equipped with six wing production tooling sets, one wing equipment installation line and painting facilities. The Broughton plant is responsible for wing manufacturing for Airbus single-aisle aircraft, and the new production facilities will be directly integrated into the A320 family's global manufacturing system. Airbus currently has approximately 7,500 unfilled orders for the A320 family, of which about 70% are for the A321 series.

Airbus plans to add approximately 480 positions at the Broughton site in 2026, of which about 250 will be located within the converted production facilities. Broughton currently employs approximately 6,000 people. The new production line adopts a redesigned manufacturing layout, with production personnel involved in the design of workstation ergonomics and equipment integration solutions to improve the efficiency of wing assembly and subsequent equipment installation operations.

This capacity build-up corresponds to Airbus's production target of 75 aircraft per month for the A320 family. The company delivered 475 commercial aircraft in the first eight months of 2026, with the A320 family remaining the primary delivery model. Airbus is also expanding wing manufacturing and advanced composite capabilities in Belfast, UK, to support increased production of the A220 program.

The Broughton conversion utilizes the former A380 wing facility. The facility was transitioned to new production uses after the A380 program ended, and production resources are now being concentrated toward the A321 series. Airbus recently also inaugurated new A320 family final assembly capacity within the former A380 production facilities in Toulouse, France, creating an additional capacity configuration spanning from wing manufacturing to single-aisle aircraft final assembly.