Airbus has announced it has decelerated an intended ramp-up of its A320 production, as demand for new aircraft remains subdued.
The European planemaker has announced that its production output for its popular single-aisle A320 jet family will increase from 40 per month to 43 per month in the third quarter of 2021, and up to 45 in the last quarter of the year, down from its previously announced target of 47 per month by the end of 2021.
Airbus said the decision was made “in response to the market environment”.
Meanwhile, production intentions on the planemaker’s wide-bodied aircraft remain unchanged, though plans for a potential increase in A350 productions have been scrapped for now.
The decision to maintain a stable output of five A350s and two A330s per month “postpones a potential rate increase for the A350”, the company said.
Assembly of the smaller A220 jet will increase from four to five aircraft per month at the end of the first quarter in 2021, as previously announced, Airbus said.
It comes following reports that Airbus was already in discussions with suppliers over the timing of its production increases, with delays thought to be likely.
While Airbus achieved its internal deliveries goal in 2020, incoming new orders for aircraft have dwindled thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Currently, outbreaks of new and aggressive strains of the virus throughout Europe and Africa look particularly concerning for the industry, even with the current rollout of COVID vaccines.
One analyst raised concerns at the planemaker’s announcement, suggesting that even with the slowdown of operations, “it’s still a lot of airplanes for the market to take”.
