Airbus seeing more predictable industrial rhythm after delays

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – European planemaker Airbus is seeing a more predictable pattern in its industrial activities and what appears to be the start of a more positive trend in deliveries, Chief Commercial Officer Christian Scherer said.

“The trend seems to want to be positive. We are seeing a steady increase in our ability to fly planes as they come out of the assembly line,” he told Reuters, adding that Airbus was fully focused on operations following recent supply chain disruption.

“The industrial rhythm seems to be a little more predictable,” he said on the sidelines of an airlines meeting.

Reuters reported on Thursday that Airbus deliveries for May were on course to top 60 aircraft, up around 30% from the same month last year and bringing deliveries so far this year to more than 220 aircraft.

Airbus is targeting 720 deliveries for the full year, implying a sharp acceleration in deliveries after the summer. It is due to publish May data on June 7.

Scherer said the recent difficulties went beyond manufacturers and lay deep within the supply chain, having been exacerbated by the “brutal” industrial halt when the pandemic spread in 2020, followed by an equally abrupt snapback in demand.

“Restarting a complex (industrial) engine obviously puts pressure on its weakest part and the weakest part is not the manufacturer,” he added.

“The pulse was not the same pulse across the supply chain but there seems to be more harmony now,” he added.

Airbus and rival Boeing (NYSE:) have blamed faltering supply chains for recent delays in jet deliveries, with airlines and leasing companies complaining of erratic changes in schedules.

Supply chains are expected to be one of the main topics at a June 4-6 meeting of the International Air Transport Association.