Airbus and Boeing have chartered one of the world’s largest cargo planes to speed up shipments of aerostructures for some civil and military aircraft. The Antonov An-124, a giant four-engine transport aircraft, has been chartered to airlift parts for Europe’s A350 jetliner and the Boeing 767 airframe used for freighters or tankers.
Aerospace Supply Chain Strains
The recent use of the An-124 underscores pressure on manufacturers to keep assembly lines fresh and tackle pockets of delays that threaten a broad recovery in production schedules. Planemakers rely on dedicated sea freight, trucking networks and fleets of converted cargo jets to move large parts between production sites.
Analysts say aerospace supply chains have improved since the COVID-19 pandemic with overall deliveries rising this year, but that there are lingering concerns about the health of the aerostructures industry as well as other parts like seats.
Airbus’s decision to fly A350 parts rather than send them by sea reflected some deterioration at a former Spirit AeroSystems plant in Kinston, North Carolina, which Airbus took over last December as part of a joint breakup of the supplier with rival Boeing.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
