Airbus informs some customers of further A350 delays, sources say

PARIS, May 20 (Reuters) - Airbus has informed some customers of further delays to A350 deliveries later this ​decade, raising fresh concerns over shipments from a ‌U.S. parts factory recently acquired by the European planemaker, three industry sources said.

 

The sources said the delays mainly reflect ongoing problems ​in securing critical fuselage parts from the former Spirit ​AeroSystems plant in Kinston, North Carolina.

 

Separately, cargo doors ⁠built by Airbus in Spain for the new A350 ​Freighter are also facing some disruption, they added.

 

Airbus said ​it never comments on delivery timelines.

 

A spokesperson said the A350 Freighter's first flight, due later this year, and its first delivery in ​2027 remain on track.

 

Airbus bought the Kinston factory, along ​with Spirit's Belfast-based wing plant for the smaller A220, last year as ‌most ⁠of the supplier returned to its former parent Boeing.

 

The 500,000-square-foot, robot-equipped Kinston site makes composite panels for the long-haul A350's upper fuselage and a carbon-fibre spar, or beam, ​for each wing.

 

Industry ​sources said ⁠the handover to Airbus had been hampered in part by staffing issues, with some ​employees opting to rejoin former Spirit operations ​under Boeing.

 

"The ⁠transition hasn't gone smoothly," a senior aerospace source told Reuters.

 

Airbus told analysts last month it had found no negative surprises ⁠at ​Kinston, though CFO Thomas Toepfer highlighted ​the logistical complexity of sending experts from Europe to support the ramp-up.