Aircraft
Airbus Sticks to 2018 Delivery Target Despite Sluggish First Half
CEO Enders acknowledges challenge of reaching 800 deliveries after the company delivered just 303 through June

Airbus CEO Tom Enders on Friday reiterated that the company would meet its delivery target of 800 aircraft this year, despite handing over just 303 to customers in the first six months mainly due to the A320neo’s persistent engine problems. Nevertheless, “it will be hard,” Enders admitted during a press briefing in London Friday.

Despite the slow pace of deliveries in the first half, Airbus and the engine manufacturers—Pratt & Whitney and CFM—have seen progress on mitigating the delays, according to the OEM’s commercial aircraft president, Guillaume Faury. “In May and June we delivered more neos than ceos,” he said, adding that the number of gliders--A320s without engines--parked at the Airbus facilities had fallen to 86 at the end of June from around 100 at the end May.