By Mauro Orru
Airbus delivered fewer planes than expected last year as persisting supply-chain hurdles weighed on production.
The European plane maker said it dispatched 766 commercial aircraft to 86 customers last year, more than the 735 planes it delivered in 2023 but below company guidance of about 770 deliveries.
The slight miss underscores the challenges that Airbus has faced in sourcing the components and materials it needs to produce and deliver its planes on schedule. Much of the aviation industry has been agonizing for years over supply-chain bottlenecks.
"Given the complex and fast-changing environment we continue to operate in, we consider 2024 a good year," said Christian Scherer, chief executive of Airbus's commercial aircraft business.
The company had initially aimed for roughly 800 deliveries last year, but it lowered that target in June to about 770 due to challenges in procuring engines, aerostructures and cabin equipment.
That downgrade triggered a selloff that wiped out about $12 billion from its market value. The stock is now up nearly 10% over the past 12 months.
Airbus said it booked 826 net orders last year, taking its backlog at the end of December to 8,658 planes.
The group delivered 75 of its A220 planes and 602 A320s, both narrow-body aircraft types. For its wide-body models, the company shipped 32 A330s and 57 A350s.
Write to Mauro Orru at mauro.orru@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
01-09-25 1228ET