Plane maker reports rise in quarterly profit as it delivers more jets despite supply-chain snags

An increase in orders for narrow-body jets including the A321 helped boost Airbus’s third-quarter income. 
Airbus SE plans to ramp up production over the course of next year, despite persistent supply-chain disruption, as the European plane maker extends its lead over rival Boeing Co. BA 0.34%increase; green up pointing triangle in the crucial market for smaller jets.

The Toulouse, France-based company on Friday confirmed plans to lift production of its A320 aircraft to 65 a month by early 2024 from about 50 a month at the end of this year, one of the fastest increases in the company’s history. The move comes as demand for Airbus’s family of A320 narrow-body aircraft outstrips that for Boeing’s rival 737 MAX but also as both plane makers grapple with continuing supply-chain issues.

Airbus has been gaining market share over Boeing since the grounding of the 737 MAX, with the split between the two most popular narrow-body programs at 61-39 in favor of the A320neo as at the end of September, according to an analysis of both companies’ backlogs by research firm Agency Partners.

The market-share split is a closely watched measure in the aerospace duopoly. As Airbus extends its lead, the company is able to produce more aircraft, enabling it to push for better pricing with suppliers that it can use to either boost profitability or undercut pricing from Boeing.

Excerpt from WSJ
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