Airbus is revising its production rates downwards to adapt to the new coronavirus market environment. In the first quarter of 2020, Airbus booked 290 net commercial aircraft orders and delivered 122 aircraft. A further 60 aircraft were produced during the quarter, which remain undelivered due to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic.
36 aircraft were delivered in March across the different aircraft families, down from 55 in February 2020. This reflects customer requests to defer deliveries, as well as other factors related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The new average production rates going forward are: A320 at 40 per month, A330 at two per month and A350 at six per month. This represents a reduction of the pre-coronavirus average 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.