No toilet, no Airbus

Just-in-time supply hits its limits. Airbus can't deliver (almost) finished planes. They're missing toilets, and for some, even engines. It's due to subcontractors delaying the supply chain.

The head of Airbus commercial aircraft, Christian Scherer, joked: "You can’t really build a plane without toilets, can you?" It sounds like something from the boardroom of an Irish low-cost airline. And yet Airbus is genuinely facing a lavatory problem. It should be possible to unblock, but in the meantime, the A350 long-haul toilets weren't delivered on time. So there are Airbuses waiting ready for delivery because of this "bottleneck".

Pedalling?

For some forty other planes, the issue is even more serious. They haven't received their engines. Here again, a subcontractor failed to deliver on time. In fact, the manufacturer complains that some companies prioritise airlines when supplying equipment at the expense of aircraft makers. However, Airbus is keen to reassure. Despite these glitches, the company still aims to deliver the 820 planned planes in 2025.

(MH with Olivier Duquesne – Source: Le Soir with AFP – Photo: © Unsplash)