Airbus needs to ‘digest’ rapid expansion as production challenges persist, says CEO

Berlin, June 11. Airbus will need to consolidate and absorb the rapid growth it has experienced in recent years, as the difficulties encountered in increasing aircraft production underscore the limits of sustaining such expansion, Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury said on June 9.

Speaking at the Berlin Aviation Summit, Faury acknowledged that the European aerospace giant has been growing at a pace that is difficult to maintain for a manufacturer of highly complex systems. He said the company would need time over the next decade to “digest” that growth.

The remarks come as Airbus continues to pursue its long-standing objective of producing 75 A320neo-family aircraft per month, a target that has been repeatedly delayed. The slower-than-expected ramp-up has frustrated airlines awaiting new aircraft to meet rising passenger demand and improve fuel efficiency across their fleets.

Faury’s comments are particularly significant as Airbus is already studying production rates exceeding 100 aircraft per month for the successor to the A320neo family, a programme that could be launched later this decade.

According to Faury, the aerospace supply chain, which was severely disrupted in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, has improved but remains under strain. He noted that the continued increase in output is creating fresh challenges for suppliers.

He also pointed to growing complexity in Airbus’s narrowbody production line, with the larger A321neo and its long-range XLR variant now accounting for the majority of aircraft being built, overtaking the standard A320neo.

To ease some of the pressure, Airbus is moving ahead with plans to take over several former Spirit AeroSystems facilities. These include the A220 wing manufacturing plant in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and the A350 fuselage section 15 facility in Kinston, North Carolina. Airbus has also faced difficulties in increasing production rates for both the A220 and A350 programmes.

Faury singled out engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney as a continuing source of uncertainty. Engines from the company’s geared turbofan (GTF) family power around 40 percent of the A320-family aircraft sold by Airbus, and delayed engine deliveries could continue to hamper production growth over the next 18 months.

Under its revised outlook, Airbus expects monthly deliveries of A320-family aircraft to reach between 70 and 75 units by the end of 2027. However, Faury said achieving that goal would largely depend on the number of engines ultimately supplied by Pratt & Whitney.

“That will depend on how many engines we finally get from Pratt & Whitney,” he said.