Airbus says it will raise the production of its A320 Family of airliners to an unprecedented rate of 46 per month by the middle of 2016.
The increase is to address the current model A320ceo’s still healthy backlog of more than 1,500 aircraft, and to prepare for the introduction of the re-engined A320NEO, 2,610 of which have already been ordered.
The increase will be a stepped one, from the current rate of 42 per month to a rate of 44 by early 2016. “Based on the healthy market outlook for our best-selling A320 Family and following a comprehensive assessment of our supply chain’s readiness to ramp-up, we are ready to go to rate 46 by Q2 2016,” Tom Williams, Airbus’s Executive Vice President Programmes said in a statement. “With a record backlog of over 4,200 A320 Family aircraft and the growing success of the NEO, we have a solid case to increase our monthly output to satisfy our customers’ requirement for more of our fuel efficient aircraft.”
To date, more than 5,900 A320 Family – comprising the A318, 319, 320, 321 and ACJ airliners and corporate jets – have been built.
