Airbus Faces New Aircraft Delivery Delays Impacting Airlines Until 2028

TOULOUSE- Airbus is alerting airlines, including Air Lease Corp, that aircraft delivery delays will extend through 2027 and 2028 due to ongoing supply chain disruptions.

Deliveries to airports like Los Angeles International (LAX) and London Heathrow (LHR) may face setbacks as Airbus works to resolve persistent shortages of engines and structural components, according to multiple industry sources.

Photo: Mitchul Hope: Wikimedia Commons

Airbus Delivery Delays

Airbus has been struggling with production constraints since the COVID-19 pandemic, when global supply chains were severely disrupted.

Although some minor improvements have emerged, major bottlenecks, particularly in engine supply and key aircraft structures, continue to hamper progress.

This was reaffirmed during a recent customer briefing at Airbus’s headquarters in Toulouse, where the company acknowledged the likelihood of multi-year delays.

Executives from several global carriers confirmed with Reuters that Airbus has communicated expected delays for aircraft originally scheduled for delivery in 2027 and 2028.

The warnings have often come incrementally, with updated schedules arriving in stages rather than all at once.

A leasing executive noted that aircraft deliveries in the latter half of the decade are already being marked for six-month delays.

Leasing companies such as Air Lease Corp have publicly disclosed notification of delays to the A320neo and A321neo families, two of Airbus’s most in-demand models.

Despite typically having more flexible delivery schedules than airlines, lessors are facing increased difficulties managing fleet planning, exacerbating the broader shortage of available aircraft.

By Don-vip – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=82579668

Targets Under Scrutiny

Industry insiders describe it as rare for a manufacturer to forecast delivery disruptions three years in advance.

This level of early notice reflects both the record-high production ambitions and the intense pressure Airbus faces from airlines demanding visibility into future fleet availability.

Airbus’s ambitious goal of ramping up production of its A320 family jets to 75 aircraft per month by 2027 remains intact, according to CEO Guillaume Faury.

However, actual production rates are hovering near 60 per month. Analysts and customers alike question whether the company can realistically hit its revised targets within the expected timeframe, particularly given ongoing uncertainty with key suppliers.

An Airbus spokesperson emphasized the company’s active collaboration with suppliers to mitigate the impact of current supply chain challenges on customers.

Still, engine manufacturer CFM, co-owned by GE Aerospace and Safran, has not finalized a supply schedule that aligns with Airbus’s growth objectives, further complicating the outlook.

Photo: Airbus

Monthly Deliveries Challenges

Airbus has delivered only 32 aircraft so far this month and is projected to exceed 40 by month’s end, well below the 53 aircraft it delivered in May of the previous year. From January to April, deliveries fell by 5% YoY.

Despite these challenges, Airbus reaffirmed its annual target of 820 aircraft deliveries for 2025, a 7% increase compared to 2024.

Yet company officials admit engine supply issues may worsen in the near term before improving.

Safran recently indicated progress in addressing supply problems, suggesting that CFM could recover momentum later in 2025.

The ongoing difficulties signal that both short and long-term aircraft availability will remain strained, further intensifying the global aircraft shortage and complicating fleet expansion plans for airlines and leasing firms alike.

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