A320 family and A330 deliveries to rise but sluggish demand for A340 will peg output at no more than two a month
Airbus is evaluating further production rate increases for its single- and twin-aisle families, but expects production of the four-engined A340 to run at a trickle relative to its twin-engined sister, the A330.
Airbus chief operating officer customers John Leahy says that there are no A330 slots available before 2009, and that production is "potentially sold out in 2009 and 2010". Output of the Airbus twin-aisle models is running at eight a month - seven A330s and one A340 - and, at last week's annual press briefing in Paris, Leahy said Airbus was evaluating whether to increase this to nine a month.
However, he conceded that the bulk of long-term demand from this line will be for the A330. "I see demand for around one or two A340s a month," he said.
Leahy claims that, with demand high for the A330, the mix of aircraft models being delivered from the A330/A340 line does not really concern him. However, observers believe that the pessimistic forecast for A340 production levels - the bulk of which will be the 380-seat A340-600 - leaves Airbus exposed in the sector between the 300-seat A330-300 and the 550-seat A380 until the 350-seat A350-1000 arrives in 2015. Leahy concedes that he'd "like to get the A350-1000 a bit earlier".
Monthly production of the A320 family is already rising from the current 32 units to 36 from the end of 2008, and Leahy says that with slots "sold out to 2010" the airframer is "looking to increase the rate again".
This could see output increase to as many as 40, as Airbus evaluates maintaining the production levels at its European assembly lines and accommodating the four aircraft a month that will be produced in China from 2009.
Airbus executive vice-president of programmes Tom Williams says the assessment to push monthly output to 38 or 40 aircraft is under way, covering both the European and the Asian lines: "The planning of the industrial system is not specific to any assembly line, and assumes the four [units] per month for China."
According to Williams, any new rate can be achieved within 24 months of the decision. "The key question for me is to be sure that the supply chain can ramp up in a secure way," he says. "Boeing is ramping up as well, and the common supply chain has to be able to match that."
Source: Flight International
