Airbus to ramp up A320 production in 2023 despite China supply chain woes

Airbus A321LR
Airbus

Airbus is planning to increase production for its single-aisle narrowbody A320-family jets in 2023, according to the planemaker’s CEO, Guillaume Faury. 

Airbus plans to roll out 65 jets per month by the summer of 2023, Faury said during a recent news briefing, which was reported by Reuters. 

However, the plane manufacturer remains cautious of increased disruptions to its Chinese supply chain due to recent pandemic lockdown in the region. Airbus will closely monitor the chain going forward, Faury added. 

“The whole worldwide supply chain is complicated at the moment,” Faury said.  

Recently, China has experienced a “severe and complicated” COVID-19 situation as cases continue to rise.  

According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), Chinese carriers anticipate a 77% year-on-year decrease in air passenger traffic during the Labour Day holiday period between April 30, 2022, and May 4, 2022. 

During a press conference on April 28, 2022, Liang Nan, director of the Transportation Department of the CAAC, announced that airlines in China expect to carry just 2 million passengers during the five-day holiday period.  

Airbus’s A320 family comprises of the A319/A320/A321ceo variants as well as the A319/A320/A321neo variants.  

In Airbus’s recent orders and deliveries data for March 2022, its single-aisle aircraft accounted for the bulk of its order book. The A320neo and the A321neo models were the most popular models with 88 and 83 gross orders.   

The A321neo, which is available in two seating configurations as a 180- or 220-seater, is Airbus’s longest-fuselage single-aisle aircraft of its A320 narrowbodies. 

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