FRANKFURT—Backed by several recent major orders for the type, Airbus has decided to increase the production rate of the A350 family further.
The manufacturer confirmed Nov. 8 that monthly output of its most important widebody will increase to 10 aircraft per month in 2026. Airbus also specified the target to bring the A220 up to 14 aircraft per month—a rate now also to be achieved within the next three years.
Airbus delivered 36 A350s in the first 10 months of 2023, an average rate of under four aircraft per month. The program, like the rest of the commercial business, has steep growth ahead of it already: A350 production is expected to more than double between now and the end of 2025 to nine aircraft per month. Rate 10 has already been reached once before in 2015 as part of the manufacturer’s initial ramp-up plan.
Airbus has seen strong sales of the A350 of late. The biggest deals in 2023 include 34 A350-1000s for Air India, 10 for Lufthansa, and 18 for EVA Air. Also, a once-canceled commitment by Qatar Airways for 23 aircraft has been reinstated after the airline and Airbus resolved their dispute over surface degradation in an out-of-court settlement.
Airbus’ decision comes as Boeing is also in the process of boosting 787 output. Its U.S. rival also aims at a rate of 10 aircraft per month in 2025 or 2026. Boeing Commercial Aircraft CEO Stan Deal indicated at the Paris Air Show in June that the company may go even higher if demand justifies the move. Boeing’s highest 787 production was 14 aircraft per month. The manufacturer is also promising its customers that it will begin deliveries of the 777-9 in 2025.
Meanwhile, Airbus appears to have gained confidence in its ability to give more precise guidance on boosting A220 production, too. The OEM had previously guided the market for a rate of 14 per month by the middle of the decade. It now says that level is to be reached in 2026. Airbus is also working toward a rate of 75 A320 family aircraft per month that same year.
Once the growth plan has been achieved, Airbus plans to produce a total of 89 narrowbodies per month, plus 14 widebodies, for a total of over 100 aircraft per month.
The only program for which further production increases are not planned at this time is the A330neo. It is slowly moving up to four aircraft per month in 2024. Airbus delivered 20 A330neos in the first 10 months of 2023.
Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said he expects “the supply chain to remain challenging as we progress on the production ramp-up.” The speed of ramp-up is “paced by a few critical suppliers, not only engines.” Despite the issues, Faury is “satisfied with the ramp-up” for the time being. “Q3 was okay, October was good,” Faury said. Airbus delivered 71 aircraft in October.
The company also stuck to its guidance of handing over around 720 aircraft in 2023. Faury pointed to the fact that the company delivered 166 units in the final two months of 2022 and has 161 more to go this year to get to its target. He predicted that the output will be “significantly higher” in 2024, though Airbus will only specify its production plans at the beginning of next year.
The A321XLR will enter service in the second quarter of 2024 after having concluded its route proving campaign.
According to Faury, Airbus is taking “as few engines as possible” to be able to secure the ramp-up, but also allow support of the in-service fleet. He acknowledged that A320neo family customers are going through “a lot of pain” because of the Pratt & Whitney inspection program that will force a large number of aircraft on the ground in the coming months.
Talks with Pratt about 2024 deliveries are ongoing, though the issues the engine manufacturer is dealing with “do not change what we told you for 2023.”
Faury said Airbus was “supporting Spirit [AeroSystems]”—a supplier that has asked for better contract terms for its work shares in the A220 and A350 programs as it orchestrates a financial turnaround. “But we also expect from Spirit to well support Airbus,” Faury added. “After all, we are their customer.”
In the first nine months of the year, Airbus handed over 488 aircraft—51 more than in the first three quarters of 2022. Among them were 41 A220s, 391 A320 family aircraft, 20 A330s, and 36 A350s.
Revenues in Airbus’ commercial aircraft business increased 18% to €31.5 billion ($33.7 billion) based on the higher deliveries. Adjusted earnings before interest and tax (Adjusted EBIT) rose by 11.9% to €3.2 billion, a 10.2% margin.
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