Faury: Airbus eyes production hike

CEO Guillaume Faury hinted Airbus will raise A320neo series production above the current 2023 target of 65 aircraft per month in 2024 and 2025. Market dynamics and the momentum for new orders led Faury to say Jan. 10 that an increase in rates is “very likely at a point in time.” A decision will be made by the middle of 2022. Airbus delivered 611 aircraft in 2021, 8 percent more than a year earlier. The growth was entirely based on expansion of narrow-body production. The manufacturer secured 771 gross orders for the year, but also 264 cancellations. Deliveries included 50 A220s, 12 more than in 2020, and 483 A320 series aircraft, up from the 446 in 2020. In 2019, it delivered 48 A220s and 642 A320s. Seventy-seven aircraft were delivered from the U.S. final assembly line in Mobile, Ala. The 771 gross orders compare to 383 in 2020 and 1,131 in 2019. (Source: AviationWeek, 01/10/22)