Airbus to Resist Matching Boeing’s Single-Aisle Production Surge

Airbus Group NV said it will resist boosting output of single-aisle A320 jets beyond levels already planned even as Boeing Co. mulls a jump in build rates.

With A320 construction slated to reach 46 a month by mid-2016 from 42 now, with an intermediate increase to 44 early the same year, Airbus wants to avoid hitches with suppliers and production of surplus aircraft, John Leahy, the planemaker’s chief salesman, said today in Istanbul. Boeing said last week that rates for the rival 737 model could reach 52 a month, compared with 42 at present and the 47 already planned for 2017.