Workers at Airbus are well-used to the annual end-of-year push as the aircraft manufacturer rushes to speed up deliveries of its jets to customers.
But this time the rush has turned into a sprint as the European company looks to hit its promised delivery target in the face of persistent production delays and supply chain issues that have held back output — just as rival Boeing is mired in difficulties.
The annual delivery targets of Airbus and Boeing are closely watched as a metric of the health of the duo that dominate the airliner industry. Deliveries are also an important source of cash for manufacturers, as airlines typically pay the biggest chunk of the purchase price when the aircraft arrives.