Airbus to ramp up production of A320 family of aircraft
AIRBUS is planning to ramp up production of its A320 family of aircraft despite challenges facing the aerospace sector amid the war in Ukraine and strains in the economy.
The company, which employs thousands of people at its UK sites in Filton, South Gloucestershire, and Broughton, North Wales, made the announcement as it reported its Q1 results.
The business reported a 15% rise in revenues to €12bn, mainly reflecting the higher number of commercial aircraft deliveries.
A total of 142 commercial aircraft were delivered - up from 125 in the same period in 2021 - including 11 A220s, 109 A320 Family, six A330s and 16 A350s.
Airbus said commercial aircraft production for the A320 family of planes was progressing towards a monthly rate of 65 aircraft by the summer of 2023 and 75 a month in 2025.
“These Q1 results reflect a solid performance across our commercial aircraft, helicopter and defence businesses,” said Guillaume Faury, Airbus’s
chief executive. “Looking beyond 2022, we see continuing strong growth in commercial aircraft demand driven by the A320 Family.
“As a result we are now working with our industry partners to increase A320 Family production rates further to 75 aircraft a month in 2025. This ramp-up will benefit the aerospace industry’s global value chain.”
The firm said its guidance for the year ahead remained unchanged. The company’s targets for 2022 include delivering 720 commercial aircraft; EBIT adjusted of €5.5bn; and free cash flow before M&A and customer financing of €3.5bn.
The news comes just days after Australian carrier Quantas announced a landmark order for Airbus A350-1000 jets capable of nonstop flights from Sydney to London.
It is part of a wider deal with the European planemaker. The multibillion-dollar order brings the Australian carrier a step closer to launching record-breaking direct flights of nearly 20 hours on the lucrative “Kangaroo route” by mid-2025.