Airbus is cutting production of its core three aircraft models by a third as its airline customers struggle amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
During its first-quarter, the aircraft manufacturer booked 290 commercial aircraft orders and delivered 122 aircraft in total. However, a further 60 aircraft produced during Q1 remain undelivered.
Airbus delivered 36 aircraft in March, down from 55 in February owing to requests from airlines to defer deliveries.
It has now moved to slow production in response to the coronavirus pandemic, with most carriers having already grounded much of their fleets owing to local travel restrictions.
The company will now produce 40 A320s a month, two A330s and six 350s, representing a reduction in pre-Covid-19 production rates of “roughly one third”.
“With these new rates, Airbus preserves its ability to meet customer demand while protecting its ability to further adapt as the global market evolves,” said the company.
Guillaume Faury, Airbus chief executive officer, said: “The impact of this pandemic is unprecedented. At Airbus, protecting our people and supporting the fight against the virus are our chief priorities at this time.
“We are in constant dialogue with our customers and supply chain partners as we are all going through these difficult times together.“Our airline customers are heavily impacted by the Covid-19 crisis. We are actively adapting our production to their new situation and working on operational and financial mitigation measures to face reality.”
