European aircraft manufacturer Airbus is warning its customers -airlines and lessors- that they can expect delays in deliveries of A320 family narrow-body aircraft in 2024.
The A320 family is the company’s best-selling product. Its backlog (the number of aircraft ordered and undelivered) stretches into the early part of the next decade. Several hundred units are due for delivery in the short term and have been delayed by «about three months».
Airbus confirmed the unspecified delays in a statement to Reuters, noting that the delays mostly affect the A321neo. However, the manufacturer reaffirmed its production targets for 2024 and beyond.
The latest announcements fuel the fire of customer protests -from both Airbus and rival Boeing- over delayed deliveries in the short term, amid ongoing supply chain problems. Tensions have been exacerbated by the increasingly short notice of aircraft delivery delays. The manufacturers are delivering their planes between three and six months late due to havoc with supply chains
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«We try to be as transparent as possible to give predictability to our customers,» said an Airbus spokesperson. However, more than one industry insider says they still struggle to get timely information for their network planning. «We are still getting information in dribs and drabs,» said one of Reuters’ sources, adding that the delays suggested that supply chains were not improving significantly.
Airbus and Boeing responded by claiming that the situation results from a mix of factors: from the pandemic to weak supply chains to a sudden spike in demand.
The delays do not include changes to the 2023 schedule, which has already been trimmed to 720 deliveries. According to specialists, it is not yet possible to determine whether Airbus will meet that target, after a first-quarter below expectations.
