Airbus Open To New Output Increase
July 20, 2011
Airbus is ready to look "seriously" at boosting A320 narrow-body production beyond an already record target, but has not yet committed to this, its chief executive said on Wednesday.
Speaking in the United States after celebrating a major order from American Airlines, CEO Tom Enders said a boom in plane production was fed by genuine demand.
Asked whether a spate of recent sales committed Airbus to revising up its production targets, Enders said, "We have not committed to it but we will seriously look into that.
"If somebody had asked me a year ago whether we should seriously consider looking above 42, 44 or 50 I would have said 'you must be out of your mind,' but we are having a big success in the marketplace and this is real -- we are not producing overcapacity."
He added, "We are certainly looking at much more significant ramp-up targets than we hitherto did."
Airbus has set plans to lift production to 42 narrow-body planes a month and said in May it was considering 44.
Enders told a news conference on Wednesday Airbus had always been "prudent" about production and would continue to be so.
Boeing commercial planes CEO Jim Albaugh said uncertainty over the ability of the production system to cope with a completely new plane had contributed to Boeing's decision to follow Airbus and put new engines on the 737, which competes with the Airbus A320, rather than attempt a complete overhaul.
Speaking in the United States after celebrating a major order from American Airlines, CEO Tom Enders said a boom in plane production was fed by genuine demand.
Asked whether a spate of recent sales committed Airbus to revising up its production targets, Enders said, "We have not committed to it but we will seriously look into that.
"If somebody had asked me a year ago whether we should seriously consider looking above 42, 44 or 50 I would have said 'you must be out of your mind,' but we are having a big success in the marketplace and this is real -- we are not producing overcapacity."
He added, "We are certainly looking at much more significant ramp-up targets than we hitherto did."
Airbus has set plans to lift production to 42 narrow-body planes a month and said in May it was considering 44.
Enders told a news conference on Wednesday Airbus had always been "prudent" about production and would continue to be so.
Boeing commercial planes CEO Jim Albaugh said uncertainty over the ability of the production system to cope with a completely new plane had contributed to Boeing's decision to follow Airbus and put new engines on the 737, which competes with the Airbus A320, rather than attempt a complete overhaul.
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