FACC AG is a leading aviation industry supplier of lightweight parts and partner of all the major aircraft manufacturers. It is also on-board the youngest member of the strong-selling A320 family. With the delivery of the first A320neo to the German airline, Lufthansa Airbus celebrated an important program milestone last week.

The A320neo is a product upgrade of the A320 family, featuring advanced technologies such as new engines and Sharklet wing-tip devices, which help it to achieve fuel savings of over 15 percent. With more than 4,300 orders to date from over 75 customers since its launch in 2010, the A320 family has taken around 60% of the market in short and medium-range passenger aircraft. "We are currently equipping 44 A320 aircraft per month with our high-quality components. Airbus is planning to deliver 60 A320neos a month from 2019," said Walter Stephan, CEO of FACC AG. The A320neo family will therefore employ over 450 employees at FACC when full capacity is reached in 2019, thereby making a significant contribution to the utilization of Austrian production locations and the sustainable growth of FACC.

New production methods, higher efficiency

Alongside component weight reduction and performance optimization, FACC focused its development work with the new medium-range Airbus aircraft on increasing production efficiency. Effective use has been made of state-of-the-art systems, such as automated tape laying and hot forming, synchronized assembly lines, and robot systems for drilling, milling, and testing.

All three FACC divisions supply components for the A320neo family: FACC Aerostructures recently performed the first delivery of the outboard flaps, marking an important project milestone. Furthermore, the company also manufactures the new Sharklets, which improve the aerodynamics and efficiency of the medium-range jet and reduce fuel consumption by up to four percent. The aft belly fairings, the ram-air inlets, antenna parts, and connecting angles, as well as the fan cowls and Karman fairings also come from FACC.

FACC Innovations can additionally be found in the A320neo passenger cabin. FACC Interiors has developed a groundbreaking concept for luggage compartments, which allows passengers to stow their luggage more easily and offers a larger storage capacity.