Airbus cuts delivery target after problems with A320 aircraft – Financial Times
Airbus has cut its jet delivery target for the year, citing a quality issue involving fuselage panels on its best-selling A320 family of aircraft that has impacted deliveries.
The world’s largest planemaker on Wednesday said it would now aim to deliver “around 790” commercial aircraft in 2025, down from a previous target of “around 820”.
Despite the lower target, Airbus reaffirmed its financial outlook for the full year of adjusted operating profit of around €7bn and free cash flow before customer financing of around €4.5bn.
The lowering of the delivery target compounds a difficult week for Airbus, which on Friday warned that thousands of its A320 jets required an immediate software fix because of the possible corruption of data from solar radiation.
The majority of the 6,000 aircraft affected received the software update over the weekend, avoiding widespread disruption for airline customers.
Airbus shares rose more than 4 per cent as trading opened on Wednesday. They had fallen more than 10 per cent on Monday to their lowest level since April after reports emerged about the new issue. Despite this week’s news, the shares are up about a fifth this year, having closed at €190.5 on Tuesday.
Airbus on Monday revealed what it described as a “supplier quality issue” that had affected some fuselage panels on the A320, the world’s most popular commercial jet.
The company told customers late last week that more than 600 aircraft would need to be inspected, according to people familiar with the situation. Of those, 168 aircraft were currently in service with customers.
The affected panels, located at the front of the aircraft, behind the cockpit and on both sides of the two forward doors, were either too thin or too thick, according to Airbus.
The company said it was “important to note that this quality issue does not affect the flight safety of the aircraft in question”.
Even before the latest incidents, Airbus’s delivery target was regarded as challenging by investors. The company had handed over 585 commercial aircraft to airline customers by the end of October, leaving it with a tough task to get to about 820 deliveries by the end of 2025.
The company has been struggling with persistent supply-chain disruptions, including a lack of engines. Airbus has also had to confront engine issues on its newer A320 jets powered by Pratt & Whitney, which has forced hundreds of jets to be taken out of service for maintenance.
