Airbus A321XLR: New Structure Assembly Hall Inaugurated in Hamburg

Airbus has reached a significant new milestone on the way to full production of its new long-distance single-aisle jet, the A321XLR. At its Hamburg Finkenwerder FAL, Airbus celebrated the inauguration of Hall 246, including guests from the Hamburg’s economy ministry, its suppliers as well as its teams at sister companies from Germany and abroad.  Structural Assembly Hall 246 will see the construction and mating of various fuselage shells, as well as the mounting of the Rear Center Tank. The tank is a key part of the XLR’s ability to offer class-leading range of 8,700km.

Among the guests attending the event were Senator Melanie Leonhard, head of the city’s Ministry for Economy and Innovation. Sentor Leonhard commented:

"This is a special day and I am very grateful to be here today," said Dr Melanie Leonhard, Senator for Economics and Innovation of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (Hamburg Innovativ). "The Airbus A321XLR is a truly impressive example of technological development, efficiency and sustainability and can drive forward precisely these issues in aviation. It is not only the aircraft itself that is innovative, but also its production, which is why this Hall 246 is one of the most modern production halls in the world and sets new standards in terms of efficiency and innovation. In this respect, the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg would like to thank Airbus and its partners once again for making this possible in such an impressively short space of time. This hall in which we are sitting is literally a symbol of how joint action and innovative technologies can shape a sustainable and successful aviation industry. But it is also a symbol of the right team spirit and of what is possible when everyone wants it and works together across company boundaries. This joint journey into the future shows that we are far from finished with bringing good ideas to life and driving technological progress forward."

Hal 246 is a converted hall originally built for the assembly of the A380. Including many innovations, the new hall is built with a high level of automation, including automated crane system and semi-automatic guided vehicles. Airbus selected several regional suppliers for the assembly system, including Broetje Automation. The new hall covers an area of 24,000m², or 92 tennis courts, and is built to world-class levels of safety and ergonomics for workers. A photovoltaic system covers 785m², delivering nearly 100,000 kWh per year.

A key part of the assembly is the 13,000l Rear Center Tank, produced at Airbus subsidiary Premium Aerotech in Augusburg, Germany. In Finkenwerder, the tank is mated to section 17, in turn mated to sections 15 and 18/19 to produce a central and rear fuselage unit. The completion of Hall 246 is a key step towards A321XLR production ramp-up.