New York, Apr 10 (IANS/EFE): European aircraft consortium Airbus broke ground at the site of its A320 plant in Mobile, Alabama.

"The new Mobile final assembly line not only provides a strategically located industrial facility in North America and a new aviation center of excellence for the US Gulf Coast region, it also will generate increased work throughout the Airbus production and its worldwide supply chain," Airbus said in a statement.

The plant, which is expected to take two years to complete, will assemble A319, A320 and A321 aircraft, as well as the planned A320neo.

"When operations begin here at this Mobile assembly line, we will be manufacturing aircraft in Asia, in America and in Europe," Airbus president and CEO Fabrice Bregier said at Monday's groundbreaking ceremony.

The plant will allow the European aviation company to be closer to its North American customers and meet their needs more efficiently, Bregier said.

"Mobile will join the three existing Airbus final assembly facilities that currently build A320 Family aircraft: its original location at Toulouse, France, which was supplemented by a site in Hamburg, Germany; and subsequently followed by the latest at Tianjin, China," the consortium said in a statement.

The largest US carriers operate Airbus A320s.