By Mauro Orru

Airbus said significant Pratt & Whitney engine shortages had forced it to slow production of its best-selling A320 jets and set a weaker-than-expected plane delivery goal this year, the latest setback for the company as it continues to struggle with supply-chain bottlenecks.

The European plane maker expects to produce between 70 and 75 A320 aircraft a month by the end of next year compared with a prior target of 75. The revision comes months after Airbus found what it described as a "supplier-quality issue" relating to the thickness of metal panels used to make its A320 line of jets. While that issue has now been rectified, Airbus was forced to deliver fewer aircraft than it had initially aimed for last year.

"Pratt & Whitney's failure to commit to the number of engines ordered by Airbus is negatively impacting this year's guidance and the ramp-up trajectory," Airbus said. Pratt & Whitney parent RTX didn't respond to a request for comment.

Airbus Chief Executive Guillaume Faury said in recent months that engine shortages, particularly for narrow-body aircraft, had been a challenge. On Thursday, he said the Pratt & Whitney engine shortage remained "significant."

Faury said in an earnings call that Airbus wanted to enforce its contractual rights against Pratt & Whitney since the engine shortage was directly weighing on how many planes the company can deliver and, therefore, its profitability. However, he added that a quick resolution wasn't in sight and that Airbus would have to "bite the bullet" this year.

The A320 is of paramount importance to Airbus given its popularity among airlines. The model accounted for nearly 80% of all aircraft deliveries last year. The group forecasts roughly 870 commercial aircraft deliveries this year compared with 793 planes it dispatched in 2025. Airbus was expected to guide for about 907 deliveries this year, according to estimates by Visible Alpha.

Airbus has faced years of supply-chain disruptions in sourcing everything from engines to cabin equipment and seats, making it difficult for the company to assemble and deliver its planes to customers on schedule.

The company was forced to trim its aircraft-delivery goal in 2022, 2024 and 2025 because of supply-chain problems. Airbus had initially aimed for roughly 820 deliveries last year, but it slashed that target after the company found the metal panel issue for the A320.

U.S. rival Boeing delivered 600 commercial aircraft last year, up from 348 the prior year. The company has been ramping up production and getting its business back on track, after the blowout of an Alaska Air door plug in 2024 exposed Boeing to tighter regulatory scrutiny.

Airbus also wants to ramp up production of most other jets, saying it continues to target five A330s a month in 2029 and 12 A350s in 2028. It lifted production of the A220 in absolute numbers to 13 a month in 2028 compared with 12 in 2026 previously, citing benefits from the integration of Spirit AeroSystems Holdings' operations that provide wings for the A220.

Last year, Airbus agreed to buy some Spirit facilities that make parts for its jets in the U.S., Europe and Africa, in a move to stabilize supply.

The company said revenue for the three months to the end of December grew 5% on year to 25.98 billion euros, equivalent to $30.61 billion.

Net profit increased 6% to 2.58 billion euros, while adjusted earnings before interest and taxes--Airbus's preferred measure of profitability--climbed 17% to 2.98 billion euros.

Analysts had expected revenue of 26.51 billion euros, a net profit of 2.36 billion euros and adjusted EBIT of nearly 2.87 billion euros, according to market consensus provided by the company based on estimates from 20 analysts.

Airbus said it would propose a 2025 dividend of 3.20 euros a share at its shareholders' meeting on April 14, compared with a dividend of 2 euros a share and a special dividend of 1 euro a share for the previous year.

For 2026, Airbus expects adjusted EBIT of around 7.5 billion euros. Free cash flow before customer financing--a closely watched metric by analysts and investors--is projected at around 4.5 billion euros.

Write to Mauro Orru at mauro.orru@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 19, 2026 02:56 ET (07:56 GMT)

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