Page 12 - Flight International (January 2020)

A220 gains lift
AIR TRANSPORT
under new
ownership
Air Transport P15

OPERATIONS DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON
Airbus trials fully automated take-off technology

fully automated A350-1000 “We moved the throttle levers
A take-off has been carried out to the take-off setting and we
by Airbus using a vision-based monitored the aircraft,” says test
system that tracks the runway pilot Yann Beaufils.
centreline and rotates the aircraft He says the aircraft automati-
without side-stick input from cally detected and tracked the
the pilot. centreline before rotating to the
The initial departure with the correct pitch at the airspeed
test system was carried out at logged with the system.
Toulouse on 18 December and the “The aircraft performed as Airbus
crew of five made eight flights in expected during these milestone System can keep aircraft on the centreline without side-stick input
the course of around 4h 30min. tests,” he adds.
Image-recognition technology Airbus will continue to devel- The ATTOL project com- at the heart of operations” and
was installed on the aircraft as op the technology and plans to menced about 18 months ago. its intention is to examine the
part of the airframer’s ATTOL conduct vision-based taxiing and Airbus says that, while it is degree to which autonomy can
project to explore autonomous landing towards the middle of looking into autonomous be used to resolve “key industri-
taxiing, take-off and landing. this year. technology, pilots “will remain al challenges”. ■

STRATEGY DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON
A380 makes way for A321 in Toulouse

Space vacated by axed double-decker will be used from mid-2022 to ease single-aisle family's production bottlenecks
irbus is to increase its A321 will “optimise industrial flow”
Aproduction capability, by and increase production capacity
converting its A380 facilities in specifically for the A321 models.
Toulouse to accommodate a Airbus says it has informed its
digitally-enabled A321 final unions of the decision to place
assembly line. the new line at Toulouse.
It will introduce production of The French site was selected
the A321 to Toulouse for the first Airbus for reasons of “overall competi-
time – Airbus’s largest single- Largest narrowbody variant is currently built in Hamburg and USA tiveness”, cost of investment and
aisle variant is currently built in time to market, says Airbus, as
Hamburg Finkenwerder and A321XLR, is due to become ed by digital capabilities, as part well as available space. The
Mobile, Alabama. available from 2023. of its overhaul of production to company is winding down
The airframer says the change Airbus says it will use the incorporate the latest technology. assembly of its A380 at Toulouse,
– to be in place by mid-2022 – A380 Lagardere facility to install Chief operating officer Michael following last year’s decision to
will provide “more flexibility” a modernised A321 line, support- Schoellhorn says the measure terminate production. ■
for A321 production, although it
adds that overall single-aisle
industrial capacity at Toulouse MANUFACTURING JON HEMMERDINGER BOSTON
will remain “flat”. Mobile keeps moving upwards as part of global output increase
Airbus’s A321neo has proven
particularly popular, accounting Production of the A320neo is to be help it achieve a global production will spend $40 million to build
for 3,255 orders – or 45% of all boosted by Airbus at its Mobile, output of 63 A320neo-family another support hangar in Mobile,
commitments for the re-engined Alabama site to seven aircraft per aircraft per month in 2021. bringing its total investment at the
A320neo family. month in 2021, amid a US- The increase at Mobile to seven site to more than $1 billion.
But this has put pressure on imposed import tax on European- aircraft monthly will take effect “by Airbus delivered its first Mobile-
the industrial system at Airbus made commercial aircraft. the beginning of next year”, it assembled A320 in 2016 and
owing to the introduction of new Airbus currently builds five says. “The increase, and contin- began production of A220s there
variants of the A321neo as its A320neos per month there and says ued recruitment for the A220 last year.
range has increased and carriers this will grow to six within weeks. manufacturing team, will result in a It intends to assemble four
have requested configurations The airframer says its decision is further 275 jobs being added at A220s per month at the site by the
suitable for these longer-haul not based on the impact of US tar- the Alabama-based facility over mid-2020s, at which time its
operations. iffs – which do not yet cover parts the next year,” it adds. combined A220 and A320 output
The latest of the variants, the or aerostructures – but is simply to As part of these efforts, Airbus will hit 130 aircraft per year. ■

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