Airbus delivered 72 new aircraft to 42 customers in November 2025. This is 12 fewer aircraft than it delivered in the same month last year, marking a 12% drop in year-over-year production rates. The deliveries are also down from last month’s total of 78, which had been the high point for Airbus deliveries so far this year.

The drop in delivery numbers comes just when Airbus needed a final surge to attain its original 2025 goal of 820 aircraft. It has been blamed on a quality issue with fuselage panels in the A320 family, which has delayed deliveries for dozens of aircraft. As a result, Airbus has revised its 2025 target downwards to 790 aircraft delivered by December 31.

Airbus Drops Its Target For 2025

Credit: JetBlue

Earlier this week, Airbus disclosed that it had discovered a “supplier quality issue” affecting metal fuselage panels on its A320-family aircraft. The problem stems from panels produced by supplier Sofitec Aero that are manufactured at an incorrect thickness. Reuters reported that internal documents presented to airlines show that a total of 628 A320-family aircraft have been flagged for inspection. That includes 168 already in service, 245 on final assembly lines, and another 215 still in early stages of production.

Practically, the defect is having a tangible impact on delivery schedules as some jets that were close to delivery are now delayed while inspections — and any necessary panel replacements — are completed. As for aircraft already delivered and in service, Airbus says there’s no immediate safety risk and that the issue is “contained.” But the net effect is that on Wednesday, Airbus issued a short press release stating that it is cutting its 2025 commercial aircraft delivery target from 820 to “around” 790 jets.

The release is clear in pointing the finger at supplier issues, but states that the manufacturer maintains its financial guidance for the year:

“Based on a recent supplier quality issue on fuselage panels impacting its A320 Family delivery flow, Airbus is providing an update to its commercial aircraft delivery guidance for 2025. The Company now targets around 790 commercial aircraft deliveries in 2025. Airbus maintains its financial guidance as provided at the Nine-Month 2025 results.”

The Aircraft Delivered In November

Credit: Airbus

November saw a sharp drop in A320-family deliveries due to its supplier issues, with just 54 delivered, compared to 62 last month. However, it was a good month for the Airbus A220, which reached 10 monthly deliveries, the most for the type all year. This is approaching the company’s interim goal of achieving a rate of 12 A220s per month by mid-2026, and ultimately a rate of 14 per month by 2027.

In total, Airbus has delivered 657 aircraft to 87 different customers in 2025. However, some customers stand out for the sheer number of deliveries they have taken so far this year, with three of them having already received more than 30 aircraft.

• IndiGo
  : The Indian carrier has more than 1,200 outstanding orders for A320 family aircraft, about 17% of the total backlog. It has taken delivery of 41 A320s and A321s so far this year.
• China Southern
  : The Chinese carrier has received 39 aircraft from Airbus in the first ten months of the year, made up of two A319neos, 16 A320neos, and 21 A321neos.
• Delta Air Lines
  : The Atlanta-based airline has taken 35 aircraft across four different variants — eight A220s, 16 A321neos, seven A330-900s, and four A350-900s.

With the manufacturer’s new guidance of 790 annual deliveries, this will require it to deliver 133 aircraft in December. This is far in excess of the 78 it delivered in October, the best month so far this year. However, it’s not impossible. Airbus’ record for monthly deliveries was set in December 2019 with 138 aircraft, so it would need to come very close to that as well as avoid further supplier-related delays to achieve its goals.

Related

Fewer Planes, Same Profit: How Airbus Is Protecting Its Billions Despite The A320 Stumble

Airbus has announced that it is reducing its commercial deliveries target for 2025 from 820 to 790 aircraft.

Highlights From The November Deliveries

Credit: Airbus

There were a few notable highlights from the November deliveries. One mysterious stand-out was the delivery of an exceedingly rare A330-800 to a “private customer.” Airbus only has 12 orders for the type, with eight already delivered. The remaining four are still on the Airbus books as destined for Garuda Indonesia, although ch-aviation reported in October that the carrier had canceled the order.

Air France has always been a strong customer for Airbus, having ordered over 250 of its aircraft over the years. It was a milestone month for the French carrier as it took delivery of its 50th A220 and its 40th A350 aircraft in November. The A220s have been gradually replacing the airline’s aging A318 and A319 fleets, and it only has four of each type remaining. Meanwhile, the carrier still has outstanding orders for more than 50 A350s, including both the -900 and -1000 variants.