Airbus keeps its 870 jet target after a flaw. Two of four such targets were cut.
Airbus found a coating fault on parts of some A321neo jets. The same day it said it still plans to deliver about 870 aircraft this year.
What happened
Airbus confirmed on that a coating on parts of some A321neo jets was put on wrongly, and repeated its target of about 870 deliveries this year.
Airbus confirmed a quality fault on its best-selling jet on . On a number of A321neo aircraft, a coating that protects metal from rust was put on wrongly. It sits on parts that make the front of the body stronger. Airbus said safety is not affected and a fix is available. Two industry sources told Reuters the work was done by a company working for the Italian group Leonardo, which did not comment.
The same day, Airbus kept its target of about 870 deliveries in 2026. It had handed over 475 jets from January to August. A spokesperson said the target “was formally stated during our first-half results on ” and “remains our current public position”. Airbus shares fell a little over 1% in early trading.
Airbus first set the target of about 870 in February and repeated it on , when it reported 351 deliveries in the first half. To reach 870, it needs about 395 more in the last four months of the year.
Reuters said this is the second quality question for Airbus in less than a year. In , faulty body panels from a Spanish supplier caused months of delays, and Airbus missed its first target for 2025. Choe Lemarie of the bank Jefferies said the fix “should limit any potential impact on deliveries this year”.
Airbus speaks to investors on and reports nine-month results on . That report is where the target is either repeated or changed.
Sources: Reuters, Airbus, Airbus, events calendar
The Pattern
We looked for cases where an aircraft maker with a public yearly delivery target said a fault in its jets could delay deliveries, while the target still stood and a results report was ahead. We found four since 2018. The target was cut twice, and both cuts came at or before the next results. Both cuts were small, under 10%. The first target for the year was met in one of three years.
Show the other 2 cases
The Read
History is split. Two of four makers cut their target by the next results, and two kept it. The two cuts came late in the year, with four months or less left, and in neither case did the maker repeat its target after the fault. Airbus now has about three months left, but it repeated its target the same day.
The record is small and comes from only two makers. No cut was as large as 10%, and both cut targets were then met. The first target for the year was met in only one of three years. Airbus’s nine-month results on will show which way it goes.
Disclaimer
Hunch works only from sources that are publicly available, and publishes on the basis of analysis of that material. We do not form an editorial opinion or take sides, we give a simpler and wider view of news that already exists. If information in a source we used was inaccurate, distorted, or later disputed but had already entered our analysis, Hunch accepts no liability for that. Predictions are not advice. Phase 1 markets use Hunch Points, not money.
Published by Hunch under the Editorial Code. Complaints and corrections: /contact/.