(Bloomberg) — Airbus SE Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury said he’s hopeful to have fixed supply issues by the end of the year that will allow the manufacturer to clear out all of its so-called gliders — fully built aircraft sitting on the ground without engines.
The planemaker now has 26 planes without engines, six more than at the end of May, Faury said in an interview at the Farnborough air show. Faury said engine manufacturers CFM International and Pratt & Whitney have assured him that they were ramping up production and that the issue should start getting better by the third quarter.
Airbus and arch rival Boeing Co. are struggling with a shortage of components from engines to computer chips as the world emerges from the pandemic. Airbus also has to contend with energy shortfalls as gas supplies are threatened by the fallout of the war in Ukraine.
“The situation is slightly worse than what it was at the end of May,” Faury said. “We think we’re at the bottom of the problem and things will probably get better moving forward.”
Companies throughout the aerospace supply chain are battling with materials and labor shortages. Boeing said Monday it, too, was struggling with engine shortages but vowed not to build so-called gliders as it takes a more cautious approach to its own ramp-up.
Airbus has charted an ambitious plan to push production of its flagship A320 family of aircraft to 75 planes a month by mid-2025. The manufacturer got a blockbuster China order a few weeks ago, but Faury said it’s too early to consider higher rates. Rather, the order will help serve the ramp up to rate 75, where Airbus hopes to stay for several years, he said.
The Airbus CEO reiterated his optimism on demand for larger twin-aisle jets, saying the recovery is happening faster than expected in this segment. He said he sees the company selling out on wide-body slots by the middle of the decade.
Due to supply-chain constraints, Airbus is focused on serving existing customers, Faury said.
“We will be taking orders as well but we are really focusing as much as we can on getting things in order in the supply chain and being able to deliver,” he said.
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