By Tim Hepher
PARIS (Reuters) -Airbus delivered a stronger-than-expected 73 jets in September, a record for that month of the year, as delays in engine deliveries showed signs of easing, industry sources said.
Airbus declined to comment on the figure, which is higher than earlier analyst forecasts of 69 to 70 deliveries.
The breakthrough in September deliveries, up from 61 in the same month last year, brings the cumulative total since January above 2024's running year-to-date tally for the first time.
However, it also leaves Airbus needing to pull off a record fourth-quarter with 313 deliveries between October and December, up 16% from the last three months of 2024, to reach a full-year target of 820 deliveries, independent analyst Rob Morris said.
The previous fourth-quarter peak was 297 in 2018, he added.
September's figure implies that Airbus delivered 507 aircraft between January and September, up 2% from 497 in the first nine months of last year. Deliveries at the half-year stage were down 5%.
Jefferies, which estimates 69 deliveries in September, said this week that the month had seen a notable increase compared with the previous year, suggesting an easing of the recent gaps in engine supplies mainly from CFM.
Provisional data from analytics firm Cirium pegged September deliveries at 70 aircraft.
Airbus has seen production of its A320 single-aisle held back by delayed engines, while also struggling with plans to increase output of its best-selling model to 75 a month.
Even so, the 54-year-old European company is on the cusp of making industry history as total A320 deliveries look set to match those of the Boeing 737 - or more than 12,250 aircraft each - to become the most-sold commercial jetliner, Morris said.
Airbus will issue monthly order and delivery data on October 8.
(Reporting by Tim HepherEditing by Mark Potter and Bill Berkrot)
