Airbus has reaffirmed a target of building 12 A350 widebody aircraft per month by 2028, a goal that industry sources tie closely to output at a composite structures plant in Kinston, North Carolina.
The manufacturer delivered 26 A350s in the first half of 2026, a pace under five per month. Airbus has told some customers to expect additional A350 delivery delays later this decade. Sources point primarily to Airbus Aerosystems Kinston, a 500,000 square foot facility employing roughly 1,000 people that supplies composite fuselage panels and wing spar structures for the program.
Airbus took control of the Kinston site from Spirit AeroSystems in December 2025 under a transaction announced in April 2025. Airbus was due to receive $439 million from Spirit as part of that deal, subject to adjustments. The company recorded a 188 million euro charge, about $208 million, in its 2025 results tied to acquiring and integrating the Spirit work packages. Some former Spirit employees moved to Boeing associated operations when the Spirit commercial business was divided, which left staffing gaps at the plant.
Structures produced in Kinston ship to France for final assembly and must arrive in the correct condition and sequence for the line to hold rate. Chief Executive Guillaume Faury confirmed the 12 per month goal at the 2026 annual results presentation and acknowledged that the ramp is steep. The target covers both passenger A350 variants and the A350F freighter.
Airbus said in May 2026 that A350F first flight, planned for late 2026, and first delivery in 2027 both remained on schedule despite separate cargo door disruptions in Spain.
Source: AviNews - https://avi-go.com/news/articles/e1b7b978146642412e34b8785615cde1