Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Output boost; early plane debut

Boeing said Wednesday that it moved up the delivery date for the 737 Max, which sports new engines, by six months to the third quarter of 2017. Airbus said it may increase A320 production by 19 percent by 2020 from 42 a month now to satisfy rising demand. Tom Williams, the Airbus executive vice president for programs, said in an interview with Bloomberg at the Paris Air Show that suppliers need to start thinking about a rate of 50 aircraft a month. (Source: Bloomberg, 06/19/13) Gulf Coast note: Airbus broke ground in April on an A320 final assembly line in Mobile, Ala. Previous: Boeing ups demand forecast