Airbus, The world’s largest aerospace manufacturer is also having a sweet moment (because Explosion in demand for aircraft for commercial and defense aviation) and complex (because it still bears the impact of post-pandemic global supply chain problems and has not yet recovered pre-pandemic production rhythms).
The European giant, with the participation of German, French and Spanish states, put a plan into action. Increase the production rates of your facilitiesbut it is still a long way from fulfilling all the contracts its customers might want to close to increase their aircraft fleets. He summarizes: “The demand for Airbus aircraft is now much higher than for any aircraft we can produce.” Alberto Gutiérrez, president of Airbus Spain is in a meeting with the press. “The main challenge we face is that there is a demand that we cannot meet. “The company’s priority is to supply as many units as there is demand.”
The boom in tourism following the total collapse caused by the pandemic, the growth of the middle class in many countries and the proliferation of customers who can fly, and the need for airlines to renew their fleets (close to half of commercial aircraft currently in operation will be replaced in the next decade) are causing an outpouring of demand for the purchase of new aircraft. “The demand is 20% above our production capacity,” emphasizes Gutiérrez, who confirms that the company’s production chain is still affected by the lack of sufficient components.
Production increase
European aviation is piling up order book surfaces commercial units of approximately 8,000 units The group, which has made a total of 488 deliveries so far this year, has committed its current production capacity until 2029. The group increased its production and commissioned a new production line before reaching pre-pandemic levels. plans to further increase the rate at which new aircraft exit its facilities.
Airbus has aimed to increase production of the A320 family of commercial aircraft (single-aisle for short- and medium-haul flights) from 55 to 75 units per month by the end of this decade, as well as increasing larger models. Sales of the A350 will increase from 6 to 10 units in 2025, and the A330 will fly from 3 to 4 units per month next year.
In the process of recovering activity The company created nearly 1,000 new jobs this year The president of Airbus Spain confirmed that the workforce – especially engineering profiles – will continue to grow next year, although he has not yet presented figures on new business volume.
European regulation
Concerns have been expressed across Europe’s various industrial sectors about problems competing with rivals in other markets (particularly the US or China) in some areas, due to stricter regulations in some aspects.
Airbus, which is in constant conflict with North American giant Boeing over world leadership in aviation, is also warning. “We are concerned that over-regulation will lead to a loss of competitiveness in Europe,” Gutiérrez emphasizes. “Over-regulation does not create wealth or solutions. If there is overregulation, we may die; “He is in perfect health, but die.”
In this sense, Airbus is showing its refusal to ban short-haul flights that could be replaced by train services, as France has already done and as vaguely suggested in the PSOE and Sumar government agreement in Spain. “We disagree. The solution is not not to fly. The solution is to fly with more sustainable mechanisms.”
The company is working to adapt its aircraft to consume sustainable fuel (SAF) and later hydrogen. “The future of aviation is called sustainability,” says the President. Aircraft built by Airbus are already capable of flying on 50% SAF mixed with regular kerosene and will soon be able to do so on green fuels alone. The problem faced by aviation is that SAF production is low and its price is more expensive than kerosene.