Airbus is maintaining its full-year delivery estimate and its longer-term production ramp-up targets, although it states that supply-chain issues remain a concern.
The airframer says it is “stabilising” production of A330s at a monthly rate of four aircraft, and is sticking with plans to increase the A350 rate to 12 aircraft per month in 2028.
But it states that it is “actively managing specific supply-chain challenges” on the A350 programme which “may have an impact” on the ramp-up trajectory – particularly next year.
Chief executive Guillaume Faury says the challenges with the A350 are “numerous” but “nothing new”.
Embattled aerostructures firm Spirit AeroSystems, which builds the A350’s fuselage section 15, is in the process of being acquired by Boeing, with Airbus set to pick up the A350 programme work.
Faury points out that this fuselage section is a “pacing element” of the A350 ramp-up.
He adds that Airbus is also having to deal with other supply-chain issues, including challenges relating “more to specific customers” and the fitting of particular interior configurations.
Airbus is continuing its efforts to raise monthly A320neo-family production to 75 aircraft in 2027, and the A220 rate to 14 in 2026.
The airframer delivered 497 commercial aircraft over the first nine months of this year, and has just handed over the first example of its new A321XLR.
While increased deliveries drove a 4% rise in commercial aircraft revenues to €32.9 billion over the nine-month period, adjusted earnings for the division were down 6% to just over €3 billion.
Airbus says this decline in earnings is attributable to “investments for preparing the future”.
“We are constantly adapting to a complex and fast-changing operating environment marked by geopolitical uncertainties and specific supply-chain challenges that have materialised [this year],” says Faury.
But he says the company remains “focused” on its priorities, including ramping-up commercial aircraft deliveries and transforming its defence and space arm.
Airbus is expecting to deliver around 770 commercial aircraft across the full year.
