Problems at German plant mean new delays for Airbus
Airbus is working flat out to maintain 2018's target of 800 total aircraft deliveries needed to meet financial targets
Paris — For two years Airbus faced a shortage of engines and had to slow jet deliveries. Now engines are arriving fast — but fresh snags mean a Hamburg plant that assembles best-selling jets is having trouble absorbing them, industry sources said. The internal snags have exacerbated delivery delays that leave Airbus with the challenge of delivering 76 single-aisle planes per month in the last quarter, according to consultants Flight Ascend, 9.6% more than its previous record. Airbus is working flat out to maintain 2018's target of 800 total aircraft deliveries needed to meet financial goals and single-aisle assembly lines are its most important cash cow. "They're late; everyone is mad at them. They've been hiding behind the engine problems," a senior aircraft buyer said, referring to the tendency of supply chains to focus on the most visible laggards without always tackling problems in waiting. Other industry sources say Hamburg may not be the immediate source of the problem, but th...
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