Airbus has reportedly informed airlines and lessors to expect delivery delays for aircraft that are due to arrive this year and early in 2025.

Boeing may be attracting a lot of attention when it comes to negative aviation news in the past few weeks. But even if they are a couple of orders of magnitude less critical, Airbus has its own problems that demand a solution.

Supply chain issues have plagued both Boeing and Airbus since before the pandemic. The launch of two new single-aisle engine programs put pressure on engine makers and their supply chain. And while the monthly production rates for the 737 MAX and A320 families were much higher in 2019 than they are now, supplier challenges remain.

Airbus Delivery Delays – Not A Surprise

Despite last year’s delivery delays, especially those in the first quarter, Airbus managed to beat its delivery target, of 720 aircraft, by 15. The European manufacturer will reveal what its 2024 target is next week when it announces its 2023 financial results.

Some analysts expect this number to be at or near 800 aircraft. Even so, Airbus still keeps its customers informed about supplier problems and delivery delays. We have seen how checks for Pratt & Whitney A320neo family engines are hurting new engine production rates.

On the plus side, Airbus started the year much better than 2023. Despite its delivery worries, Airbus handed over 50% more aircraft to its customers this January than 12 months ago. Still, that’s 30 aircraft instead of 20. That’s how bad January 2023 was.

Lessors and other industry insiders suggest that delivery delays of many months or even a year have become the norm for both Airbus and Boeing customers. The industry is reportedly missing around 3,000 aircraft, compared to pre-pandemic expectations for 2024. The effects of the past four years on the aviation industry will take much longer to equalize.

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