Airbus informs some customers of further A350 delays, sources say

PARIS, May ​20 (Reuters) - Airbus ⁠has informed some customers of ​further delays to A350 deliveries later this decade, raising fresh concerns over ​shipments ‌from a U.S. parts factory recently acquired by the European planemaker, ⁠three industry sources said.

The sources said the ⁠delays mainly reflect ongoing ​problems in securing critical fuselage parts from the former Spirit AeroSystems plant in Kinston, North Carolina.

Separately, cargo doors built by Airbus ​in ‌Spain for the new A350 Freighter are also facing some disruption, they added.

Airbus said it never comments on delivery timelines.

A spokesperson said the A350 Freighter's first flight, ​due later this year, and its first delivery in 2027 ‌remain on track.

Airbus bought the Kinston factory, along with Spirit's Belfast-based wing plant for the ‌smaller A220, last year as most of the supplier returned to its former parent Boeing.

The 500,000-square-foot, robot-equipped Kinston site makes composite ​panels for the long-haul A350's upper fuselage and a carbon-fibre spar, or ‌beam, for each wing.

Industry sources said the handover to Airbus had been hampered in part by staffing issues, with some ⁠employees ⁠opting to rejoin former Spirit operations under ‌Boeing.

"The transition hasn't gone smoothly," a senior aerospace source told Reuters.

Airbus told analysts ​last month ​it had found no negative surprises at ‌Kinston, though CFO Thomas Toepfer highlighted the logistical complexity of sending experts from Europe to support the ramp-up. (Reporting by Tim Hepher. Editing by Alex Richardson and Mark Potter)

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