Airbus Cuts Plane Delivery Goal Due to A320 Fuselage Quality Issue

By Mauro Orru

Airbus said it was lowering its aircraft delivery target for the year due to a quality issue with metal panels on hundreds of A320 jets, a major blow to the group as it struggles to overcome supply-chain hurdles.

The European plane maker said Wednesday that it expects to deliver about 790 commercial planes to customers this year compared with a prior target of roughly 820. Airbus dispatched 585 aircraft by the end of October.

While the company tends to deliver more aircraft toward the end of the year, analysts said Airbus was unlikely to ship all remaining planes needed to meet its prior delivery goal after uncovering the panel problem.

Airbus reiterated its financial targets for the year. It said adjusted earnings before interest and taxes--its preferred measure of profitability--should still come in at roughly 7 billion euros ($8.14 billion). Free cash flow before customer financing--a metric closely watched by analysts and investors--is still projected at roughly 4.5 billion euros.

Write to Mauro Orru at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

12-03-25 0142ET