Airbus to boost single-aisle aircraft production rate

Airbus will increase the monthly production rate of its A320 Family aircraft to 38 per month in August 2011 and to 40 per month in first quarter 2012. Currently, Airbus turns out 34 A320 Family aircraft per month rising to 36 from December 2010. For the time being, the A330/A340 Family production remains at rate 8.5.
 
Airbus’ decision to raise its single-aisle production rate is driven by the continuing strong demand for its eco-efficient single-aisle aircraft (as recently underlined by the Farnborough Airshow with 206 new single aisle commitments) and a record backlog in excess of more than 2,200 A320 Family aircraft.

“The recent Farnborough International Airshow, where Airbus garnered orders worth US$28 billion in total and the leasing companies made a strong return to the market, was clear evidence of a strong and positive trend towards recovery,” said Tom Williams, executive vice president Programs. “The low operating costs and high dispatch reliability offered by the A320 Family make it the market best seller. Increased demand for the aircraft and a healthy backlog lead us to decide to further ramp up our production rate to 40 aircraft per month by 2012.”

Airbus delivered a total of 498 aircraft in 2009, including 402 A320 Family aircraft, both new company records for a single year. The company has delivered already 250 aircraft by end of June and is thus well on track to set another delivery record in 2010.

The A320 Family, which includes the A318, A319, A320 and A321, is recognized as the benchmark single-aisle aircraft family. More than 6,500 Airbus A320 Family aircraft have been sold and more than 4,300 delivered to more than 310 customers and operators worldwide, making it the world’s best-selling commercial jetliner ever.