Airbus has warned that the market for widebody aircraft is likely to experience similar wait times as that of the single-aisle segment. The reason for this is that airlines are rushing to buy long-haul planes to stock up their fleets, while supply chain disruptions are causing delays in manufacturing. According to Christian Scherer, Airbus’s chief commercial officer, "We will most probably be in just as much of a supply crunch on the widebodies as we’re experiencing on single aisles. The widebody market is very, very promising."
Widebody aircraft are known to be complex to produce due to their elaborate interiors, such as luxury business-class seats and flexible layouts for elements such as galleys. This means that any disruptions in the supply of the parts can result in significant bottlenecks in production. To tackle this issue, Airbus has already announced an increase in output for its A350 model to six a month to help ease constraints, with plans to increase it to nine per month by the end of 2025. Additionally, the older A330neo model is expected to reach four units per month by 2024.
Airbus's best-selling A321neo aircraft model is already sold out until 2029. Therefore, the company's focus will now be on offering its more expensive widebody models to proven partnerships instead of chasing every opportunity that presents itself. However, Airbus has been slower than expected in delivery due to the supply chain bottlenecks encountered, causing the company to downgrade delivery targets twice last year. In 2023, Airbus aims to deliver 720 jets, mostly from the A320 family, to satisfy the growing demand from airlines.
Regarding the A220 program, Airbus's management is currently evaluating engine options. Currently, the aircraft comes exclusively with Pratt & Whitney's GTF powerplant, which is known to have some reliability issues. While Airbus won't announce a stretched version of the A220-500 plane at the Paris Air Show in a few weeks, it is studying options for the variant, including more powerful engines.
In conclusion, as airlines rush to capitalise on the surge in travel demand, more delays and wait times might occur due to supply chain bottlenecks in the production of widebody aircraft. However, Airbus plans to increase output to meet the demands of the market while focusing on expanding partnerships to satisfy the needs of airlines.