Airbus sticks to delivery goals as industrial problems ease

CEO Guillaume Faury also hinted that the plane maker might launch a more powerful A321 jet

French planemaker Airbus has eliminated many delays compared to last year but has room to do more in making deliveries run more evenly over the year, chief operating officer Michael Schoellhorn said. Show more

Airbus is on track to meet its 2019 delivery goals as it makes progress in resolving industrial problems at its Hamburg single-aisle jet plant, its chief operating officer said on Tuesday.

Airbus has eliminated many delays compared to last year but has room to do more in making deliveries run evenly over the year, Michael Schoellhorn said.

Airbus is aiming for between 880 and 890 aircraft deliveries in 2019.

In the second half of the year, the European company will review whether to raise A320-family output beyond a current target of 63 a month, Mr Schoellhorn said.

Airbus has been studying plans to raise output of its main single-aisle aircraft series to 71 a month, industry sources told Reuters.

Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury also hinted that the company might launch a more powerful A321, saying its current A321LR was the world’s longest-range single-aisle jet “for the moment".

The A321 is one of the most popular aircraft Airbus sells, with 4,117 on order and 1,872 in the fleet, the company's latest delivery figures show.

Airbus is already marketing a longer-range version called A321XLR, with an official announcement expected at next month’s Paris Airshow.

The Paris Airshow is the largest aerospace industry exhibition in the world in number of exhibitors and size of exhibit space.

In 2017, when it was last held, it attracted more than 32,000 visitors.