Airbus is sticking to its ambitious jet delivery target for the year despite supply chain disruptions caused by a shortage of engines as its quarterly profits rose on the back of a solid defence and space business.
The world’s largest planemaker said it handed over 507 commercial aircraft in the first nine months of the year — leaving it pressed to deliver a remaining 313 in the final three months of the year to meet its annual target of “around 820 deliveries”. It delivered 766 aircraft last year.
“Navigating strong demand, combined with specific supply chain tensions, still requires continuous operational discipline and agility, in particular in the environment of changing trade policies,” Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury said on Wednesday.