Paris, Jul 3 (IANS): Airbus, a leading European aircraft manufacturer, Monday announced to set up its first manufacturing facility in the US.

The move is part of a plan to bolster competitiveness and strengthen its position in the booming American market, Xinhua quoted the company as saying.

Airbus plans to produce about 50 aircraft of the A320 family annually by 2018, with works to start in 2015 and the first deliveries scheduled one year later.

The France-based company said the facility in Alabama will "create jobs and strengthen the aerospace industry".

"The US is the largest single-aisle aircraft market in the world, with a projected need for 4,600 aircraft over the next 20 years - and this assembly line brings us closer to our customers," Airbus president Fabrice Bregier said.

Over 11,500 Airbus aircraft have been sold to more than 470 customers worldwide and over 7,200 of these have been delivered since the company first entered the market in the early seventies, the company said in a statement.