Airbus tells suppliers to gear up for record production on bestselling jets

Airbus has told suppliers it is planning for record production of its bestselling planes within two years in a sign of the manufacturer’s hopes for a belated but strong recovery for aviation from the coronavirus pandemic. The European manufacturer said on Thursday it would increase production of A320 single-aisle aircraft to 45 per month by October, up from 40. However, it said suppliers should be ready for a rate of 64 per month by the spring of 2023 for the A320, which is well suited to short-haul travel that is expected to bounce back the quickest. That would beat its previous highest rate target of 63, and would be followed by 70 per month at the start of 2024 and as high as 75 by 2025. The aerospace industry has endured months of weak demand for planes during the pandemic as airline customers cut back on orders as their revenues dried up. Airbus and its US rival, Boeing, together cut tens of thousands of jobs worldwide as demand plummeted. Demand for Boeing planes was hit further by the crisis over its previously top-selling 737 Max, which was grounded for over a year after two fatal crashes caused by malfunctions. “The aviation sector is beginning to recover from the Covid-19 crisis,” said Guillaume Faury, Airbus’s chief executive. “The message to our supplier community provides visibility to the entire industrial ecosystem to secure the necessary capabilities and be ready when market conditions call for it.”<br/>