Blagnac (France): Airbus has lowered its 2024 aircraft delivery target after discovering a manufacturing issue with fuselage panels on its popular A320 family jets, requiring inspections on hundreds of aircraft.
The European planemaker now expects to deliver around 790 commercial aircraft this year, down from its earlier goal of 820.
Also Read: Airbus to set up final assembly line in India for H125 helicopters
The problem follows a separate incident over the weekend when Airbus ordered urgent software fixes on around 6,000 A320s worldwide, prompting some airlines to cancel or delay flights. Most of those software issues were resolved by Monday.
A subsequent quality concern emerged involving metal fuselage panels near the cockpit that were produced with incorrect thickness by supplier Sofitec Aero in Seville, Spain. According to a Reuters report based on an Airbus presentation to airlines, 628 aircraft are affected: 168 already in service, 245 on assembly lines, and 215 in earlier production stages.
Also Read: Air India gets 1st A-350 aircraft from Airbus, to join flight ops in Jan
Airbus stressed there are no safety implications from the panel issue. Despite the reduced deliveries, the company maintained its full-year financial guidance, still targeting an adjusted operating profit of approximately €7 billion (£6.1 billion).
The setbacks come amid ongoing supply-chain challenges for Airbus, including engine delivery delays from Pratt & Whitney, and just weeks after the A320 family surpassed Boeing’s 737 as the most-delivered commercial jet model in history.
Airbus shares rose more than 2% on Wednesday morning but have yet to recover fully from last week’s decline triggered by the initial software glitch reports. The company is scheduled to release its November delivery numbers on Friday.
