Airbus faces pressure over supplies from Spirit Aero, sources say

Airbus is facing concerns over supplies of key structural parts for its largest and smallest jets from Spirit AeroSystems, part of a cascade of supply chain problems challenging growth in deliveries, several industry sources said. The problems mean airlines face a growing prospect of delays in deliveries of some jets including the long-haul A350 next year given long lead times for parts, two of the sources said, prompting the planemaker to deploy extra resources to keep them moving. Data issued on Wednesday showed Airbus needs to boost total deliveries by 11% in the fourth quarter to reach a target of 770 jets for the full year. Some analysts have lowered their forecasts towards 750 or 760 planes.<br/>Spirit mainly supplies Boeing, which is in the process of buying back its former subsidiary. But Airbus also relies on the company for major parts for its A350 twin-aisle and A220 single-aisle jets. The sources, who were not authorised to speak publicly about the matter, cited concerns over the production of fuselage parts built in Spirit's Kinston plant in North Carolina. Separately, Airbus has intervened to speed up the supply of wings for the smaller A220 by airlifting parts from the supplier's factory in Belfast, Northern Ireland, they said. In July, Airbus agreed to take on the two loss-making plants as Boeing moved to buy back the rest of Spirit to stem a growing industrial crisis following the mid-air blowout of a door plug.<br/>