Airbus had its best month of the year — but shortages weigh on the jet duopoly

Beginning initial descent… After a bumpy start to the year, Airbus could land its annual delivery target. Boeing’s European rival is said to have delivered more than 80 planes last month, its highest total of the year. That would mark Airbus’ best November in six years, bringing it closer to hitting its goal of delivering “around 770” jets this year. Meantime, Boeing has handily won the “who’s had a worse 12 months” contest. But Airbus — on pace for its sixth straight year of out-delivering Boeing — hasn’t been free of turbulence.

• Headwinds: In June, Airbus slashed its profit forecast by about $1B, lowered its annual delivery estimate, and pushed back a key production target. In October, the world’s top plane maker also laid off 2.5K employees.

• A wing, a prayer: Airbus would need to beat prepandemic averages and deliver about 139 jets this month (24% more than last December) to hit its annual goal. Most analysts are expecting a final tally closer to 760 deliveries — compared to Boeing’s 340.

Clipped wings… You’d think Airbus would be thriving given that its only major rival is having one of its worst years ever (see: this, this, and this). But Airbus is supplied by many of the same manufacturers as Boeing, and bottlenecks have hurt both companies. Suppliers are stuck in the middle of a runway tug-of-war for parts between plane makers and repair shops that fix active planes for airlines. That’s saddled Airbus with an order backlog in the thousands, causing it to turn down some orders. Last week it reached a deal with an engine supplier to help it ramp up production.