Saab completes first door plug delivery to Airbus

Defence and security company Saab has successfully delivered its first doors from the Door Plug 3 work package to Airbus' Final Assembly Line in Hamburg. The delivery is part of a contract from March 2015.

Saab signed a contract with Airbus in March 2015 to become a supplier in the A321neo Airbus Cabin Flex project. The agreement covers the design, development and manufacture of Door Plug 3 and Cover Plate. The first delivery is being carried out by Saab Aerostructures, a business unit within business area Industrial Products and Services (IPS).

Saab has now successfully and on schedule delivered its first shipset of Door Plug 3 to Airbus' Final Assembly Line in Hamburg, Germany. The work package constitutes a metal door assembly designed by Saab in Linkoping, Sweden, together with its engineering partner Tech Mahindra in Hyderabad. It is manufactured in Belgaum, India at the Saab/Aequs joint venture Aerostructures Assemblies India (AAI).

It is the first work package to be sent directly from AAI to Airbus, and signals both the end of the development period and the start of the production phase. The assembly of these doors will be carried out at the AAI facility in India, where Saab has set up A380 work packages in the past.

"It is great to be able to offer this opportunity to not only manufacture in India, but also to assemble and deliver directly from India. We are happy to assist Airbus in growing its footprint in India, while also supporting the 'Make in India' programme," says Jessica Oberg, head of Saab's business area IPS.