The Strategist

Airbus slows production down



04/09/2020 - 04:09



On Wednesday, Airbus announced plans to cut back on jetliners worldwide after the coronavirus epidemic triggered the worst industrial crisis in aviation and sharply cut supplies. In its largest production adjustment in history, the European manufacturer said it was reducing the output of its best-selling narrow-body A320 family by one-third to 40 aircraft per month.



Airbus slows production down
The company is also reducing the production of larger wide-body A350 jets by about 40%, to six aircraft per month; production of the A330 family - by more than 40%, to two aircraft per month.

“We have many requests for deferrals... for 2020, and sometimes for 2021,” Guillaume Faury told reporters. “That's why we are slowing production rates” (quoted by Reuters).

Earlier, agency sources reported that production could be halved by 3–6 months. The manufacturer allegedly already turned to suppliers with a request to slow down deliveries to Airbus plants by 40% compared to the usual schedule, according to which the company produced 36 aircraft per month. Prior to the pandemic, Airbus planned to increase the production of the A320 in 2021 to 63 per month.

source: reuters.com