Airbus (EADSY.US) is still plagued by supply issues! Full-year delivery target likely to be missed

Airbus (EADSY.US) has been struggling to meet its annual delivery target, which it has already cut, and it may have delivered just 50 aircraft in September, according to people familiar with the matter. That delivery pace suggests the company could deliver about 500 aircraft this year, leaving it 270 short of its target of 770 deliveries for the year.Airbus cut its full-year delivery target to 770 aircraft from 800 in July, citing engine shortages and other supply chain issues, and pushed back its midterm production target to 2027.While deliveries typically pick up toward the end of the year, the gap from the full-year target means Airbus will have to deliver more aircraft each month in the last three months of the year than it has at any point this year, a tall order for the company.Ian Douglas-Pennant, an analyst at UBS, said in a client note Tuesday that Airbus may be forced to lower its full-year expectations when it reports its third-quarter results at the end of October.Airbus has long complained that the supply chain has been slow to recover from the pandemic, which disrupted the entire industry and forced parts makers to cut jobs and spending to conserve cash. Meanwhile, slow deliveries have put pressure on airlines, which can't receive the aircraft they've ordered as quickly as they expect and are forced to fly older planes longer or cut some routes.