May 7 (Reuters) - Airbus said it delivered fewer aircraft in the year to April than in the same period a year earlier, underscoring the pressure on the European planemaker to accelerate handovers to airlines.
The company said it delivered 67 aircraft in April, taking total deliveries for the year to 181, down 5.7% from 192 in the same period a year ago, as it works to raise the pace of customer handovers.
Airbus is struggling to meet its annual target of handing over about 870 commercial aircraft after
Pratt & Whitney engine shortages and administrative delays in China slowed first-quarter deliveries. Last month, deliveries were down 16% on the year before.
In the first quarter, Boeing delivered more jets than its European rival for the first time in any quarter since the beginning of 2023, as CEO Kelly Ortberg seeks to stabilize the U.S. planemaker after years of setbacks that helped Airbus gain ground.
The France-based group continued delivering jets to Gulf airlines in April despite the war in the Middle East, monthly data showed. Regional airlines Emirates, Etihad Airways and Air Arabia received three airliners last month.
Deliveries to Chinese customers also continued after administrative delays in China were resolved.
The company said it had sold 436 aircraft in the first quarter or a net total of 405 after adjusting for cancellations.
(Reporting by Gianluca Lo Nostro and Mateusz Rabiega; Editing by Matt Scuffham)
