Airbus delivers 55 jets in September, still short of 2022 goal

Bloomberg

Airbus SE jetliner handovers increased in September, while remaining short of the monthly average needed to reach an already downgraded year-end goal.
The planemaker delivered 55 aircraft, up from 39 in August, it said, confirming a Bloomberg report. That takes net tally to 435, meaning it must ship an average 88 per month to hit the annual target of 700.
Airbus is clinging to the goal even as labour and raw-material shortages at suppliers make boosting production tougher. While a year-end push is far from unusual, the scale of this year’s challenge stands out, with Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury saying last month that hitting 700 jets leaves “a hell of a lot of work to be done.”
Faury said that the company was starting to get a handle on the engine issues, with fewer than 10 finished aircraft sitting without turbines, compared with 26 in July.
Qantas Airways CEO Alan Joyce last week warned against lengthy delays to deliveries as he prepared to meet with Faury for a progress report on key programs.
Airbus booked 13 orders in September after securing none in August, including six A320-family aircraft for Chinese
carrier Sichuan Airlines.
The month also saw three cancellations, down from 19 in August.
The target is realistic provided engine-makers meet monthly commitments and catch up with deliveries for planes currently missing turbines, Deutsche Bank analysts Christophe Menard and Sriram Krishnan said in a note. Handovers show signs of accelerating, pointing to the supply chain stabilising, they said.