News
Supplier problems delay THAI and CAL A350 deliveries
June 10th 2016
“We have 40 [A350] aircraft in the final assembly line, so ideally we still plan to deliver 40 this year. But is it easy? Definitely no. Can we do it without big cabin improvements from some suppliers? Read More » No. What we need now is to increase the level of quality of the cabin suppliers. This is a big challenge,” Airbus president and CEO, Fabrice Brégier, told Orient Aviation last Friday.
A few days later, on Monday, Thai Airways International (THAI) told Orient Aviation the delivery of its first A350-900 has been delayed from July to August because of issues with the aircraft’s seat manufacturer. THAI’s inaugural A350 services – double daily flights to Melbourne – have been tentatively moved to early September, with more delays possible. THAI has twelve A350s in its books, four on direct order and eight on lease.
In Taiwan, China Airlines (CAL) is facing the same issue. Its first A350-900 has been put back for delivery from July to September, the carrier said, also because of cabin completion problems. Airbus has delivered nine A350s this year, but it is targeting 50 by year-end. Qatar Airways chief, Akbar Al Baker, last week complained he was expecting ten A350s this year, “but none have arrived so far”.
