Safran delivers its 1,000th nacelle for the Airbus A320neo to TAP Air Portugal

Safran Nacelles has marked the delivery of its 1,000th nacelle system that equips the A320neo jetliner built by Airbus to TAP Air Portugal.

The delivery that occured yesterday in Toulouse was celebrated at the Paris Air Show in the presence of Safran Nacelles CEO Cédric Goubet; Erik Buschmann, Airbus Senior Vice President - Propulsion System Procurement; Mário Lobato de Faria, Chief Technical Officer of TAP Air Portugal, Gaël Méheust, President and CEO of CFM International and Frank Dougherty, General Manager of Middle River Aerostructure Systems.

This milestone underscores the company's important Tier 1 supplier role in the fastest production ramp-up ever for a civil aircraft.

Safran Nacelles has complete responsibility for the design and integration of nacelles on A320neo jetliners powered by CFM International* LEAP-1A engines. In accelerating the nacelle output to meet Airbus' production rate for the twin-engine A320neo, Safran Nacelles utilized its full nacelle system expertise – from conception to manufacturing and delivery, applying Lean Sigma methods, automation and digitalization.

"This 1,000th delivery milestone is a confirmation of Safran Nacelles' excellence in nacelle systems, and a tribute to the expertise of our employees – who have used best practices in everything from design and development to production and in-service support," explained Safran Nacelles CEO Cédric Goubet. "In today's competitive environment, airframers can count on us for responsive, high-quality and cost-effective solutions."

The nacelles incorporate Safran Nacelles' advanced nacelle system technologies, incorporating latest-generation composite materials and acoustic treatment.

Its ability to accelerate A320neo nacelle production also is based on the management of an international supply chain, including Middle River Aerostructure Systems – a U.S.-based business of ST Engineering – which provides the thrust reverser transcowl and its actuation system, along with engine build-up (EBU) hardware.  

Safran Nacelles delivered the initial A320neo nacelle to Airbus in April 2016. Its output reached 440 units in 2018 on the way to 700 plus annually by 2020. The integrated A320neo nacelles are delivered to Airbus A320 final assembly lines from Safran Nacelles' facilities in Toulouse, France; Hamburg, Germany; and Mobile, Alabama in the U.S.

* CFM International is a 50/50 joint company between Safran Aircraft Engines and GE.