European manufacturer slashes year-end goal by 30 aircraft as fuselage panel defect disrupts production flow and delays deliveries
Airbus cut its 2025 delivery target to around 790 commercial aircraft on Wednesday, down from an original goal of 820, after discovering a supplier quality issue affecting metal fuselage panels on its A320-family jets.
The European aircraft manufacturer blamed the revision on defective panels produced by supplier Sofitec Aero that were manufactured at an incorrect thickness. The problem has flagged 628 A320-family aircraft for inspection, including 168 already in service, 245 on final assembly lines, and another 215 in early production stages, according to internal documents presented to airlines and reported by Reuters.
The defect is delaying deliveries for dozens of jets that were close to completion while inspections and any necessary panel replacements are carried out. Airbus said the issue is “contained” and poses no immediate safety risk for aircraft already delivered and operating.
In a brief press release, Airbus pointed to the supplier problem while maintaining its financial guidance for the year.
“Based on a recent supplier quality issue on fuselage panels impacting its A320 Family delivery flow, Airbus is providing an update to its commercial aircraft delivery guidance for 2025,” the company said. “The Company now targets around 790 commercial aircraft deliveries in 2025. Airbus maintains its financial guidance as provided at the Nine-Month 2025 results.”
The revised target presents a significant challenge for December operations. Airbus delivered 72 aircraft to 42 customers in November, down from 78 in October and 84 in November 2024. To reach 790 total deliveries for the year, the manufacturer must deliver 133 aircraft this month — nearly matching its all-time monthly record of 138 set in December 2019.
November’s deliveries reflected the production disruption, with only 54 A320-family aircraft delivered compared to 62 in October. The A220 program showed strength with 10 deliveries, the highest monthly total for that aircraft type in 2025, approaching the company’s interim goal of 12 A220s per month by mid-2026.
Through November, Airbus has delivered 657 aircraft to 87 customers. Three carriers stand out for the volume of deliveries taken this year: IndiGo has received 41 A320s and A321s, China Southern took 39 aircraft across multiple variants, and Delta Air Lines accepted 35 jets including eight A220s, 16 A321neos, seven A330-900s, and four A350-900s.
IndiGo holds more than 1,200 outstanding orders for A320-family aircraft, representing about 17% of Airbus’s total backlog for that product line.
November deliveries included a rare A330-800 to an undisclosed private customer. Airbus has only 12 orders for the variant, with eight already delivered. The remaining four had been earmarked for Garuda Indonesia, though the Indonesian carrier reportedly canceled the order in October, according to aviation data firm ch-aviation.
Air France reached two fleet milestones in November, taking delivery of its 50th A220 and 40th A350. The French carrier is using the A220s to replace its aging A318 and A319 fleets, with only four aircraft of each type remaining in service. Air France still has outstanding orders for more than 50 A350s, including both -900 and -1000 variants.
Key Takeaways
- Airbus reduced its 2025 delivery target from 820 to 790 aircraft due to a supplier defect affecting fuselage panels on A320-family jets manufactured by Sofitec Aero at incorrect thickness.
- The quality issue has flagged 628 A320-family aircraft for inspection, including 168 in service, 245 on assembly lines, and 215 in early production, delaying deliveries but posing no immediate safety risk.
- Airbus must deliver 133 aircraft in December to meet its revised target, approaching its record of 138 monthly deliveries set in December 2019.
- The manufacturer delivered 72 aircraft in November to 42 customers, maintaining its financial guidance despite the production setback.
