PARIS: Airbus is revising its aircraft production rates downwards to adapt to a new market environment caused by the coronavirus pandemic.Going forward, Airbus will produce 40 A320s a month, as well as two A330s and six A350s.
This represents a reduction of the pre-coronavirus average rates of roughly one third.With these new rates, Airbus preserves its ability to meet customer demand while protecting its ability to further adapt as the global market evolves.
In quarter one, Airbus booked 290 net commercial aircraft orders and delivered 122 aircraft.
A further 60 aircraft were produced during the quarter, however, they remain undelivered due to the evolving Covid-19 outbreak.
Some 36 aircraft were delivered in March across the different aircraft families, down from 55 in February.
The drop reflects customer requests to defer deliveries, as well as other factors related to the ongoing Covid-19 situation.
“The impact of this pandemic is unprecedented.
“At Airbus, protecting our people and supporting the fight against the virus are our chief priorities at this time.
“We are in constant dialogue with our customers and supply chain partners as we are all going through these difficult times together,” said Airbus chief executive, Guillaume Faury.
“Our airline customers are heavily impacted by the Covid-19 crisis.
“We are actively adapting our production to their new situation and working on operational and financial mitigation measures to face reality.”
