The imbalance became more visible after nearly 20 aircraft bound for China were temporarily held back due to administrative issues, slowing deliveries to Chinese operators via major hubs such as Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG). <\/p>\n
At the same time, engine supply constraints involving Pratt & Whitney continue to influence Airbus\u2019s overall delivery schedule.<\/p>\n
![\"Airbus](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3-2-1024x682.webp\")
Photo: Bene Riobo, Wikimedia
\nhttps:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:SE-ROM_A320neo_SAS_VBY.jpg<\/p>\n
Airbus\u2019 Delivery Gap Widens<\/p>\n
Airbus\u2019s delivery shortfall stems from a combination of technical and logistical challenges that emerged over the past two quarters. <\/p>\n
A quality issue involving forward fuselage panels on A320neo-family aircraft required inspections and rework, slowing the pace at which completed jets could be handed over to customers.<\/p>\n
The problem, linked to deviations in panel thickness, required significant engineering effort to resolve. As a result, several aircraft that were otherwise ready for delivery had to be temporarily withheld for corrective action.<\/p>\n
This disruption led to what Airbus describes as a \u201cdesynchronisation\u201d between production and deliveries, where output continued but handovers lagged behind. <\/p>\n
The issue also contributed to a noticeable buildup in finished aircraft inventory.<\/p>\n
![\"Airbus](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Air_New_Zealand_A320neo_-1280x720-1-1024x576.webp\")
Photo: Cammynz | Wikimedia Commons
\nhttps:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Air_New_Zealand_A320neo_.jpg<\/p>\n
Inventory Surge Impact<\/p>\n
The mismatch between production and deliveries drove a sharp increase in Airbus\u2019s inventory levels during the first quarter of 2026. <\/p>\n
The company reported a \u20ac5.2 billion rise in inventory, taking the total to \u20ac46.9 billion over the three months, Flight Global<\/a> flagged.<\/p>\n This surge largely reflects aircraft that have been produced but not yet delivered, including those affected by both the fuselage panel rework and the temporary China transfer delays. <\/p>\n While deliveries to China have since resumed, the earlier hold-up significantly impacted quarterly performance.<\/p>\n Airbus leadership maintains that the inventory increase is also a sign that production ramp-up efforts are progressing, even as delivery bottlenecks persist.<\/p>\n Recovery Plan Ahead<\/p>\n Airbus now aims to restore alignment between production and deliveries by the end of the first half of 2026. The company expects most aircraft impacted by the panel issue to be fixed and delivered in the coming months.<\/p>\n Executives indicate that deliveries missed in the first quarter will shift into the second quarter, creating a heavier delivery schedule but helping close the gap. The goal is to ensure that output and handovers are better aligned before entering the second half of the year.<\/p>\n However, the overall delivery outlook still depends heavily on engine supplies from Pratt & Whitney, which remain a critical constraint. Airbus continues to target around 870 aircraft deliveries for 2026, but achieving this will require a strong recovery in the coming quarters.<\/p>\n Stay tuned with us. Further, follow us on social media for the latest updates.<\/p>\n Join us on\u00a0Telegram Group\u00a0<\/a>for the Latest Aviation Updates. Subsequently, follow us on\u00a0Google News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TOULOUSE\u2014 Airbus is working to bring its aircraft delivery flow back in line with production levels before the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3743,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[90,2702,6726,1674,675,1708],"class_list":{"0":"post-7833","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-airbus","8":"tag-airbus","9":"tag-airbus-a320","10":"tag-airbus-a320-flights","11":"tag-airbus-a320neo","12":"tag-airbus-news","13":"tag-aviation-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7833","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7833"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7833\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7833"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"AviLease](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/s8k92lqb-1024x576.webp\")
AviLease orders Airbus A350F freighters and A320neo Family aircraft | Photo: Airbus<\/p>\n