12,000th delivered Airbus is "made in Canada"
The European aircraft manufacturer Airbus recently celebrated the delivery of its 12,000th aircraft. The A220-100, assembled in Mirabel (Canada), was handed over to US-based Delta Air Lines. The carrier, which received its twelfth A220 since October 2018, has a firm order for 90 aircraft.
This milestone delivery of a Canadian-made aircraft highlights the growing presence of Airbus in North America. Since the company's leadership of the A220 programme became effective in July 2018, ground was broken last January in Mobile AL (USA), for the construction of a second A220 final assembly line. It is set to start deliveries to US customers next year.
Airbus delivered its first aircraft to Air France back in 1974. In 2010, the 6,000th aircraft was handed over. The pace continued to accelerate, taking just nine years to double that number. (ah)