Airbus may delay some jet deliveries

Airbus is preparing the ground for further delays to planned delivery dates of some medium-haul aircraft in 2023 even as it races to meet delivery targets for 2022 in the face of supply chain and labour problems, according to sources.

The twin-speed approach comes as uncertainty remains over supplies of engines for new plane production as well as other parts and labour, the sources added.

A spokesperson for Airbus said it had no comment on deliveries ahead of its next monthly bulletin in early December.

Analysts said aerospace is grappling with a series of concurrent problems with multiple knock-on effects.

Jetliner and engine makers are battling supply chain and labour problems, but so too are the worldwide repair shops needed to help airlines meet a sharper than expected recovery in demand by keeping their existing aircraft in service.

The logjam in repair capacity has left dozens of planes grounded as their engines are late coming out of overhaul, and that in turn has created competition for engines between new aircraft assembly lines and spares for the existing fleet.

At least one engine maker is experiencing renewed pressure to shift more engines away from supporting aircraft production to a pool of spares for existing customers.

Airbus produces A320-neo family jets with a choice of engines from General Electric and Safran joint venture CFM International or Raytheon Technologies unit Pratt & Whitney. Boeing uses solely CFM for its 737 family.

Data showing how many jets are unused because of maintenance delays as opposed to economic or other reasons is not available.