Airbus Chief Executive Guillaume Faury said the planemaker can meet its 2025 delivery target so long as engine makers keep parts coming, after the company hit its internal milestones for July and August.
He said airframes waiting on powerplants are clearing, although the company still needs more engines and cabin equipment to sustain the pace.
Airbus is guiding to around 820 commercial jet deliveries this year. Based on 434 handovers through August, the company must average roughly 97 aircraft a month from September to December, a rate Faury said is achievable provided engine supplies improve.
Official figures show Airbus delivered 61 aircraft in August, bringing the year-to-date total to 434. That keeps the target in play but requires a faster clip in the fourth quarter, when deliveries are typically backloaded.
Engines remain the swing factor
Faury flagged continued tightness at Pratt & Whitney and CFM, which has left some jets waiting for powerplants even as other parts of the supply chain show progress.
More Read
He said the stock of completed but engineless aircraft has improved, yet warned the industrial system still needs more engines to meet customer schedules.
“The answer is yes,” Faury said when asked whether Airbus can reach the goal this year, while adding he is “really worried about the engines.”
His comments came at an industry event in Washington as suppliers work through labor and parts constraints that have lingered longer than expected.
What the math says
Airbus has already matched its summer objectives, but the remaining four months account for nearly half the annual plan.
After August’s 61 deliveries, the company needs to hand over close to 100 jets per month to finish at guidance, an intensity management says depends on engine makers hitting their own recovery timetables.
Last year Airbus delivered 766 jets, which makes the 2025 target about a 7 percent increase. The company reiterated that guidance in recent results, noting that deliveries are backweighted as supply constraints gradually ease.
