Airbus says it benefited from Boeing strike

PARIS — Airbus benefited from the recently ended strike by Machinists at U.S. rival Boeing as it gave stretched suppliers more time to focus on orders from the European jet maker, the company said today.

Record-high orders for aircraft at both Airbus and Boeing earlier this year meant that the jet makers' suppliers of equipment like galleys, staircases and seats were having a hard time keeping up with demand.

But a two-month strike by factory workers at Boeing that ended Nov. 2 "gave our critical suppliers some breathing space," said Airbus spokesman Justin Dubon.

"Reduced demand from Boeing due to the strike allowed suppliers to focus on Airbus," Dubon said.

Airbus executive vice president for programs, Tom Williams, was quoted by The Wall Street Journal in August as saying delays from suppliers had cost the plane maker "a ton of money." Airbus and Boeing receive most of the payments for aircraft on delivery, so delays in delivery translate into a delay in revenue.

Airbus delivered 349 aircraft between January and September, up from 330 a year earlier. It took in a net 737 new aircraft orders so far this year, increasing its order backlog to $431 billion based on list prices.

Airbus is a unit of European Aeronautic Defence & Space.