Airbus is facing a new quality issue affecting a “number” of its best-selling A321neo jet, although the manufacturer said the problem was not a safety concern
Airbus today delivered the first A320neo from its second final assembly line in China. Airbus operates 10 A320 final assembly lines worldwide, two of them in China.
China is Airbus’s largest single market. They forecast China will need 8,830 new planes over the next 20 years — over 20% of global demand.
Since the first final assembly line in China opened in 2008, more than 800 A320 Family aircraft have been delivered.
Airbus might resort to taking direct control of some suppliers to get a tighter grip on parts, after years of bottlenecks in subcontractor industry led to delays and missed delivery targets
Airbus SE lowered its long-term forecast for demand of single-aisle jets in China, citing the expansion of the country’s growing high-speed rail network that’s eroding some demand for planes over trains.