Airbus Notifies Customers of Further A350 Delivery Delays Amid Supply Chain Bottlenecks, Industry Sources Say
European aerospace giant Airbus has informed several customers of additional delivery delays for its A350 widebody program extending through the remainder of the decade, industry sources told Reuters. The situation has raised concerns across the sector due to persistent operational hurdles at a key component manufacturing facility in the United States, which was recently acquired by the company.
Integration Hurdles at Kinston Plant
The primary driver behind the delays is centered at the Kinston, North Carolina facility—a plant formerly owned by Spirit AeroSystems that Airbus formally absorbed last year. The acquisition was part of a broader restructuring of the global tier-1 supplier, which saw the majority of its assets return to its former parent company, Boeing.
The 500,000-square-foot Kinston facility, which features advanced robotic automation, represents a critical link in the European airframer’s production ecosystem. The site is responsible for manufacturing:
- The composite upper fuselage panels for the A350.
- The carbon fiber wing spar for each aircraft.
→ Airbus Delivers 67 Aircraft in April: 181 in First Four Months of the Year
Logistical Challenges and Brain Drain
Aerospace industry sources indicate that Airbus’s transition and takeover process has been fraught with challenges. The operational handover has been hampered by staffing issues, as a cohort of skilled personnel elected to rejoin the Spirit divisions that returned to Boeing’s control.
While Chief Financial Officer Thomas Toepfer assured analysts last month that no negative surprises had been detected at Kinston, he did acknowledge the logistical complexity of continuously dispatching European experts and engineers to oversee and support the production ramp-up.
Disruptions to the A350 Freighter Program
Supply chain complications are not confined to the U.S. infrastructure. Independent of the Kinston bottlenecks, the development program for the new Airbus A350 Freighter—the cargo variant of the twin-engine widebody—is also experiencing supply chain disruptions regarding its main deck cargo doors, which are manufactured by Airbus at its facilities in Spain.
Airbus Official Stance
In line with its standard corporate policy, the European airframer stated that it does not comment on specific customer delivery schedules.
However, a company spokesperson emphasized that key milestones for the cargo variant remain unaffected by these supply chain disruptions. Consequently, the A350 Freighter’s maiden flight remains scheduled for late this year, with the first official delivery still on track for 2027.
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