Aviation News – Airbus and Boeing are experiencing delivery delays, significantly impacting global flight schedules and creating monumental travel congestion across major destinations.
Delivery delays at Airbus including Airbus A350 and Boeing are significantly impacting international flight schedules, leading to monumental travel congestion. As these two aviation giants struggle with supply chain issues and labor shortages, their ability to meet the rising demand for new aircraft is compromised. This disruption not only affects the airlines waiting on new deliveries to expand or renew their fleets but also trickles down to travelers who face re-routed flights, longer waiting times, and less availability. The bottleneck in aircraft production is thus setting off a chain reaction that congests airports, stretches operational limits, and frustrates passengers across global travel networks.
Sources from within the industry have revealed that Airbus, along with its clientele of airlines, is encountering significant delays in deliveries due to ongoing issues with parts and labor. These challenges are hampering the manufacturer’s monthly aircraft production capabilities. As Airbus and Boeing, the two major players in the industry, face difficulties in fulfilling the rising demand for new aircraft, the situation remains strained.
Despite the challenging conditions, a spokesperson from Airbus directed inquiries to the company’s first quarter results of 2024. During this announcement, Airbus maintained its target to deliver 800 aircraft within the year. In contrast, the company achieved deliveries of 735 aircraft in the previous year. During the release of these results, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury emphasized that the company managed to navigate the quarter effectively, despite the persisting tough operational climate.
Furthermore, Faury acknowledged the ongoing geopolitical and supply chain tensions but noted that Airbus experienced robust order volumes, particularly for its widebody models. This demand has led to a decision to increase production of the A350 to twelve units per month by 2028.
Data from Ch-aviation revealed that as of May, Airbus has completed 38 aircraft deliveries. However, this figure is preliminary and subject to updates when Airbus releases its comprehensive orders and deliveries report for May, expected in June.
A recent report highlighted that Airbus is experiencing delays spanning several months, with assembly bottlenecks affecting numerous aircraft scheduled for later this year. Consequently, airlines already facing delivery delays might anticipate further complications as Airbus grapples with ongoing supply and labor issues.
According to Airbus’ recent orders and deliveries reports, the company delivered 140 aircraft in the first quarter of 2024 and an additional 60 in April. The breakdown of deliveries includes one Airbus A220-100, 13 A220-300s, 76 A320neos, 91 A321neos, eight A330-900s, ten A350-900s, and three A350-1000s year-to-date. In comparison, Airbus delivered a total of 181 aircraft during the first four months of 2023.+
Previously, Airbus outlined its ambitions to expand production, aiming for 14 A220s, 75 A320neo family aircraft, four A330neos, and initially ten A350s per month—later increasing to 12 A350s monthly. This ramp-up is supported by a substantial backlog which, as of the end of April, included 24,017 aircraft orders with 15,400 already delivered, leaving 8,617 aircraft pending delivery across models from the A220-100 to the A350-1000.
Airbus dominates the large narrowbody market segment, manufacturing the A319neo, A320neo, and A321neo, with respective backlogs of 45, 2,134, and 4,992 aircraft. In contrast, Boeing’s backlog for the 737 MAX series, from the MAX 7 to the MAX 10, stands at 4,340 units. The bulk of these are for the 737 MAX 8 and MAX 8-200, which together account for 3,123 orders.
However, Boeing has faced significant delays in aircraft delivery, compounded by internal quality issues and supply chain disruptions. This was highlighted by the incident involving an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9, where a door plug blew out mid-flight, leading to broader concerns and scrutiny.
In response to the persistent demand for air travel and Boeing’s delivery challenges, airlines have increasingly turned to Airbus. United Airlines, for instance, has opted to lease A321neos as a substitute for the Boeing 737 MAX 10s it had on order.
Despite these challenges for Boeing, Airbus has not fully capitalized on the situation to attract Boeing’s steadfast narrowbody segment customers. Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury has commented that Boeing’s difficulties reflect poorly on the entire industry, emphasizing the critical importance of quality and safety for both manufacturers.
At Airbus’ annual conference in February, Faury addressed media queries about the sustained interest in the A320neo family, noting that the A320 series has consistently captured more than 50% of market share in recent bookings. He confirmed the broad and enduring appeal of the A320neo family across global airlines. Notably, recent significant orders include 105 A320neo family jets by SAUDIA and its budget affiliate, flyadeal, featuring 93 A321neos. This underscores the model’s ongoing popularity and the strategic moves by airlines to modernize and expand their fleets amidst an evolving aviation landscape.
Orders of Boeing and Airbus
The Saudia Group, encompassing Saudia, the flagship carrier of Saudi Arabia, and flyadeal, its budget airline, has recently secured a significant acquisition of 105 A320neo Family aircraft. This order includes 12 A320neo and 93 A321neo aircraft, raising Saudia Group’s total Airbus commitments for the A320neo family to 144 aircraft.
In December 2023, Turkish Airlines, Türkiye’s national airline, plans to enhance its fleet with a purchase of 220 Airbus aircraft. This substantial order consists of 150 of the popular A321s and 70 of the cutting-edge A350 widebody aircraft, which include 50 A350-900s, 15 A350-1000s, and 5 A350F freighters.
Owned by Tata Group, Air India made a massive procurement of 470 aircraft in February of the previous year, which included 250 aircraft from Airbus and 220 from Boeing. Additionally, in June, IndiGo, the largest airline in the country, announced a purchase of 500 narrow-body aircraft from Airbus.
Akasa Air, a burgeoning airline, marked a significant expansion by acquiring 150 Boeing 737 MAX narrow-bodied airplanes on January 18. This agreement includes various models such as the 737 MAX 10 and 737 MAX 8-200, underscoring Akasa Air’s strategic ambition to strengthen its market position both domestically and internationally.
