Airbus to expand production of A320 family amid increasing demand

Airbus will increase its monthly manufacturing capacity of the A320 family of commercial aircraft from 34 to 40 by early 2012 amid increasing demand, the aircraft manufacturer said Friday.

"Increased demand for the aircraft and a healthy backlog has led us to decide to further ramp up our production rate to 40 aircraft per month by 2012," Tom Williams, executive vice president for programmes, said via a press release provided by Airbus China.

"The low operating costs and high reliability of the A320 family made it the market's best seller," he added.

Among the 498 aircraft Airbus delivered in 2009, 402 were A320 aircraft.

During the Farnborough International Air Show from July 19 to 23, Airbus received orders for 206 new A320 aircraft.

The A320 family includes the A318, A319, A320 and A321 aircraft.

Worldwide, the company has received orders for more than 6,500 Airbus A320 aircraft, of which nearly 4,300 have been delivered, the company said.

Source: Xinhua