Airbus opens new production hangar at its Augsburg site

Augsburg, Germany, 30 September 2025 – Airbus has inaugurated its new highly automated hangar at its Augsburg site in Germany for the production of the rear centre tank (RCT) for the new A321XLR (eXtra Long Range) aircraft.

The inauguration was attended by Bavarian Minister-President Dr Markus Söder, Augsburg First Mayor Eva Weber and André Walter, Head of Civil Aircraft Production at Airbus in Germany. The hangar is part of Airbus’ continuing modernisation and digitalisation of its industrial system and capacity expansion to support the A320 Family ramp up to rate of 75 per month in 2027.

"The Airbus site in Augsburg plays a key role in the production of the A321XLR. With our new state-of-the-art production hangar for the RCT, we are now expanding our capacity to manufacture A321 aircraft fuselages and making a significant contribution to supporting our ramp-up. At the same time, we are sending a strong signal about the importance of Augsburg within the Airbus network," said André Walter. “The latest standards in production and sustainability were taken into account in the design of the building.”

Minister-President Dr Markus Söder: "Airbus is a global brand. The future is being built here. The A321XLR shows that it is a super idea to let smaller aircraft fly further – more efficient, faster, cheaper, and sustainable. With state-of-the-art high-tech manufacturing, Airbus is setting benchmarks for the future of aviation and strengthening the Augsburg and Bavaria location with 250 jobs. The Free State of Bavaria is a high-tech state. A heartfelt thank you to all employees and all the best for the future!"

In the new production hangar, pre-assembled sub-assemblies are connected to form a complete RCT module and sealed. Then electrical components, the fuel system, hydraulics, pumps and valves are installed before a leak test is carried out. The module is then transported to the Airbus site in Hamburg, where the tank is integrated into the rear section of the A321XLR fuselage. The RCT, with a volume of around 13,000 litres, gives the A321XLR a significantly increased range of up to 8,700 kilometres. The RCT sits  in the rear fuselage of the aircraft, below the floor, and makes maximum use of the existing structure and fuselage cross-section of the cargo hold. There are currently over 500 orders for the A321XLR.

The new building covers almost 12,000 m² and, in addition to RCT production, also contains office space and a new dedicated canteen. More than 250 employees will work in the new production hall. The hangar features state-of-the-art technologies and a high degree of digitalisation and automation. In parallel the hangar was designed with employee ergonomics e.g. an optimized positioning of the RCT during assembly and painting as well as sustainability in mind. The hangar is insulated to the latest standards in order to reduce energy consumption and the roof has a grass lawn serving as a natural insulation. In addition, a photovoltaic system has been installed that produces electricity for the equivalent of around 140 households per year.