PARIS (Reuters) – Airbus deliveries sped up in September, bringing the number of jets supplied so far this year to 437 and leaving the European planemaker what one analyst called a manageable task in the traditionally busy fourth quarter, despite supply chains snags.
Airbus SE said it had handed over 55 aircraft during the month, in line with a forecast published by Bloomberg News.
Adjusting for the cancellation of two planes that Airbus reported delivered in 2021, but which remained in Toulouse only to be overtaken by sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Airbus has delivered 435 jets so far this year.
Airbus therefore needs to deliver 265 planes in the last quarter of the year to hit a recently softened target of 700 jets, after the September deliveries came exactly in line with the average since 2012, according to UK-based Agency Partners.
That is an “undemanding fourth-quarter target,” analyst Sash Tusa wrote in a note.
Deliveries are traditionally skewed towards the last quarter. But industry sources also caution that supply chains remain unpredictable after months of disruption since the pandemic, exacerbated by the war in Ukraine.
Airbus booked the sale of 13 airplanes in September. So far this year it has sold 856 aircraft or 647 after cancellations.
Rival Boeing Co is due to release monthly data on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Tim Hepher)
