Airbus’s commercial aircraft chief executive, Christian Scherer, has indicated that the airframer has yet to reach agreements over upcoming engine supply with Pratt & Whitney.
Speaking on 12 January as Airbus released full-year delivery figures for 2025, Scherer – who is handing over his responsibilities to successor Lars Wagner – said that a supply agreement with P&W was still under discussion, without elaborating on the details.
He says the airframer remains in talks for “volumes for the foreseeable future”.
P&W supplies the PW1100G geared-fan powerplant for the A320neo family, competing with the CFM International Leap-1A.
FlightGlobal has sought comment from P&W.
Although a general shortage of engines for the family had forced Airbus to park dozens of otherwise-completed aircraft around mid-year, Scherer said the situation had eased by the end of 2025.
Scherer says the number of so-called parked ‘gliders’, initially more than 60, had been “burnt down” to a “manageable number”.
The engines were “not a pacing item” for single-aisle production at the end of last year, he adds.
Airbus handed over 607 A320neo-family jets in 2025, of which 64% were A321neos.
Scherer says commercial aviation continues to show “remarkable resilience”, and he remains confident that Airbus will reach its ambitious planned A320neo-family production rate of 75 aircraft monthly.
“We’ll achieve this rate,” he says. “Of course it’s achievable. Supply-chain issues are there to be resolved.”
Scherer has not detailed a production forecast for 2026. The airframer typically does not disclose full-year delivery targets until a later date.
