While Airbus has been overbooking its A320 line, ahead of starting its transition to the A320neo next year, it does not have the same flexibility to ease the path to A330neo production.
The airframer had a backlog of 234 A330s, including 11 freighters, at the end of September.
But Airbus has been producing the aircraft at a rate of 10 per month since mid-2013. Last year it delivered 108 of the type.
Although the airframer has taken net orders for 41 A330s over the first nine months of this year, the backlog has been broadly declining.
Airbus produces the A330 only at its Toulouse facility. Its decision to cut the monthly production rate to nine aircraft from the fourth quarter next year is a pre-emptive measure to balance the order intake against the output and reduce the risk of a widening gap before A330neo ramp-up.
Chief operating officer for customers John Leahy had noted, earlier this year, that the A330 line had a “couple of hundred” empty slots.
Although Airbus has been able to overbook on the A320 line, as part of its strategy to smooth the cutover to the A320neo, it acknowledges that the task is more difficult for the long-haul jets which are more complex and have longer lead times.
The airframer is looking to bridge the gap to the A330neo with the development of enhanced A330 models including a regional version intended for the Chinese market.
Airbus has tentatively agreed to establish an A330 completion centre in China. But it is likely to predicate such a development on a substantial commitment to the type – one which has yet to emerge.
The decision to pursue an ambitious schedule for the A330neo, with development and service entry taking less than four years, reduces the bridging timeframe but puts the airframer under greater pressure to deliver the A330neo on time.
It has obtained commitments for 121 A330neo jets but has yet to convert these to firm orders.
Airbus plans to have the re-engined aircraft in service before the end of 2017 and move to all-A330neo production by the end of 2019.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
