THE PANDEMIC SHOWED HOW QUICKLY DEMAND COULD REVERSE
In April 2020 Airbus cut production rates in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Its announcement set average rates of 40 A320-family aircraft, two A330s and six A350s per month, describing the reduction as roughly one third of the previous average. It also reported completed aircraft that could not yet be delivered. The interruption was therefore not just a matter of factory output; airlines' ability and willingness to receive aircraft had changed too. [235, 8 April 2020; revised average production rates and undelivered aircraft]
The photograph of a new aircraft can hide the surrounding business conditions. A manufacturer has to coordinate labour, suppliers, cash and customer commitments across a programme lasting decades, while traffic demand can change in weeks. The 2020 figures are included as a dated example of that mismatch. They are not today's production rates and should not be used to calculate the current size of the fleet. [235, Customer deferrals; cash containment and production adaptation]