Airbus CEO says supply-chain issues remain amid strong demand

Airbus SE Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury said supply-chain issues will continue to hold back the aerospace industry this year amid continued strong demand.

Speaking at an event of the French aerospace lobby Gifas — which Faury also heads — the CEO said the industry faces a shortage both of parts and qualified employees.

Airbus was twice forced to cut its delivery targets last year because of supply-chain disruptions, a situation Faury called an “enormous frustration.” He declined to provide the final number of deliveries for the year. An analyst at Jeffries estimated Airbus likely handed over 670 jets last year, about 10 planes fewer than expected.

“We’re going to continue to have big supply chain issues in 2023,” Faury said. “But we’re not going to deny our happiness about being in such a strongly growing sector.”

Speaking about China’s exit from its zero-Covid policy, Faury said the step would be helpful in the medium- and long-term, but that for the moment the situation there was difficult to manage. 

“The re-opening, the end of the zero-Covid policy there, is very turbulent, to say the least,” he said.