MOBILE, Ala. — Airbus has landed. Company executives, local elected officials and business leaders gathered at the Mobile Convention Center on Monday morning to announce that the European-based aircraft manufacturer is expanding, with plans to build a $600 million plant at the Brookley Aeroplex near downtown Mobile. Once complete, the plant is expected to employ 1,000 high-skilled people at full capacity.

The company will roll out its A319, A320 and A321 aircraft at the Mobile facility. This will be the company’s first passenger aircraft assembly plant on U.S. soil. Airbus also has a single-aisle aircraft assembly plant in China.

Construction of the new Airbus plant is expected to generate $162 million of additional demand for goods and services in Alabama. Around 2,500 people will be directly involved in the facility’s construction.

Earlier hopes for an Airbus facility on the coast had been dashed when the Boeing Co. came out on top in a controversial battle over a contract to build Air Force refueling tankers.

U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner said this announcement has been more than seven years in the making. EADS (the parent of Airbus) first approached economic development officials in January 2005, seeking information that would help them select a site to build the massive tankers. The loss of the contract at such a critical time in the area’s growth disappointed residents throughout the region, who would have directly and indirectly benefitted from the jobs created.

“Today, we lift the veil off plans for an industry-altering world class aircraft assembly plant as well as the blueprint for South Alabama’s economic future,” said Bonner. “For the better part of a decade EADS/Airbus has not only forged a partnership, but also a deep bond of friendship with Mobile and the Gulf Coast, standing with us during Katrina with more than 20 tons of relief supplies and working alongside us at their engineering facility at Brookley Aeroplex. We weathered and overcame storms that challenged our resolve, yet we never lost confidence that we would one day join hands to make history.”

Bonner said the area has been described as the ideal location to build such a plant because of the available infrastructure, including the site’s proximity to a major port. He expects the plant to transform the area much like automobile manufacturing has upstate.

Sen. Jeff Sessions said, “It is so good to be at home on the special day. This announcement is a further statement that (the area) is advancing toward a historic portion of growth and prosperity.”

Airbus officials say the assembly line is part of the company’s strategy to enhance its global competitiveness by meeting the growing needs of its customers in the United States and elsewhere.

Plant construction will begin by next summer, with assembly of aircraft expected to begin in 2015. The first deliveries from the Alabama plant should begin in 2016. The facility will produce between 40 and 50 aircraft per year by 2018.

“The time is right for Airbus to expand in America,” Fabrice Brégier, Airbus president and CEO said today. “The U.S. is the largest single-aisle aircraft market in the world, with a projected need for 4,600 aircraft over the next 20 years.” He noted the plant will bring the company closer to its U.S. customers.

“When Airbus aircraft take to the skies, our pride and workmanship will soar along with them,” Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley said. “We owe thanks to so many people who helped make this effort a success ... Alabama has the best workforce you’ll find anywhere in the U.S. Airbus has recognized all that this state can offer expanding industries, and the company is making a significant new investment in Alabama. Airbus and its parent company, EADS, have been great citizens of Alabama for years now, and we are excited to build on our wonderful relationship.”

Airbus currently operates an engineering center in Mobile, also at the place locals still call Brookley Field. An Air Force base there was shuttered in the 1960s. The center employs more than 200 engineers and support staff, as well as an Airbus Military customer services operation supporting U.S. Coast Guard aircraft.

The company’s assembly line in Mobile will add to existing production capabilities by other EADS companies in the United States. For example, American Eurocopter manufactures helicopters at facilities in Columbus, Miss. and Grand Prairie, Texas, while Cassidian Communications has an assembly plant in Temecula, Calif.

Airbus is the largest export customer for the U.S. aerospace industry. Since 1990, the company has spent $127 billion with U.S. suppliers — $12 billion last year alone.

Airbus partners with hundreds of U.S. suppliers in more than 40 US states, and the company’s expenditures in the U.S. support more than 210,000 American jobs.