Frankfurt — European aerospace giant Airbus delivered fewer new aircraft in July than in the previous month due to supply chain issues.
In July, 46 commercial jets were handed over to customers, the group announced in Toulouse on Tuesday. In June, the manufacturer had delivered 60 aircraft.
Because suppliers can hardly keep up with their deliveries, Airbus boss Guillaume Faury revised his plans for 2022 at the end of July and only expects 700 deliveries this year against the originally planned 720.Meanwhile, the manufacturer won orders for 401 new aircraft in July, with nearly 300 machines going to China, while orders for a total of four jets were cancelled.
Still included in the order book is a remaining order from Qatar Airways for 19 wide-body A350s. According to industry sources, the manufacturer has now terminated the contract with its major customer after months of public disputes about damage to the surface of several jets in the series.
Qatar Airways filed a lawsuit against Airbus at the technology and construction division of the High Court of London in December. The two sides have been arguing about the case for more than a year.
The A350 has a metallic material lying between its fuselage and its exterior layer of paint designed to protect against lightning strikes.
Depending on how the plane is used, that can lead to tears in the paint or the layer of material, according to past Airbus statements on the issue.
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