Airbus to increase production on A330
Published 6:35 am Thursday, February 3, 2011
Airbus plans to boost production of its A330 widebody jet by 25 percent, the company said Thursday.
The European jet maker will increase production from eight
aircraft monthly to nine by early next year. That rate will rise again to 10 A330s monthly by the second quarter of 2013.
Airbus’s announcement comes one day after Jim Albaugh, president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, told reporters there isn’t enough widebody jet production capacity to meet demand. As a result, Albaugh believes Boeing’s 767 is likely to pick up new orders. He also believes there’s demand enough for more than Boeing’s planned rate of 10 787s monthly once that aircraft line ramps up in 2013. For Everett, that could mean making a temporary 787 final assembly line permanent.
Airbus said it delivered five A330 freighters last year. EADS, Airbus’ parent company, is using an A330F-based tanker to challenge Boeing’s 767-based tanker for a $35 billion U.S. Air Force tanker contest.
