Airbus CEO says 2022 deliveries may affect later output
The head of European planemaker Airbus (FR.AIR) on Wednesday reaffirmed a target of delivering a total of 700 aircraft in 2022 - a task he said was necessary to reach a separate monthly production target of 65 narrowbody jets in early 2024. "There is a lot on our plate... for the last three months of the year, but it is not very different from what we have done in '17, '18 and '19," Chief Executive Guillaume Faury said.
That in turn will help determine whether Airbus can reach a longer-term goal of 75 narrowbody jets a month in 2025, he added in remarks setting out a sequence of interconnected challenges as supply chains grapple with energy costs and labour shortages.
A recent decision to delay the recovery of monthly A320-family production to 65 by six months, to early 2024, eased pressure on suppliers, though some small suppliers in Europe have had to pause plans due to high energy bills, Faury said.