In the study, friction pull plug welding (FPPW) process of 6–8mm thick 2219–T87 aluminum alloy was discussed. The results show that the structure of the plug and hole, the forming hole and the main welding parameters (axial load, welding speed and feed speed) have important influence on the weld formation. The use of circular arc-shaped plug rod, cylindrical plug hole and stepped tapered bottom hole can improve the flow direction and stress conditions of the base material and eliminate the unwelded defects. The welding speed is 7000r/min, the welding pressure is 20kN, the axial forging force is 20–30kN, and the feeding speed is 1.5mm/s. In the welded joint, the softening in the thermal mechanically affect zone on the base material side is the most obvious, and the hardness value is 79.9HV. Under the optimized parameters, the tensile strength of the welded joint can reach 365MPa, and the elongation is 6%, which is equivalent to 80% of the base metal.