European multinational aerospace manufacturer Airbus announced provisions for a joint venture with Air France to provide A350 component maintenance services, which will assist with the company's future supply chain issues.

The proposed partnership would take the form of a 50-50 joint venture between Air France and Airbus, with both companies transferring aircraft component assets into the joint venture's pool.

According to GlobalData research, Airbus has not yet managed to keep up with pre-pandemic levels, which may be heightened by a record-high backlog of 7,967 commercial aircraft at the end of June 2023.

Air France-KLM Engineering & Maintenance executive VP Anne Brachet emphasised how the joint venture is set to respond to the needs of the aviation market: “This project aims to bring customers the best expertise of our two companies on a product as high-tech as the A350.

"We will be able to better respond to the needs of the market and guarantee the satisfaction of our customers over the long term with support solutions that are always responsive, of high quality and at the right price."

The deal is set to feature supply chain management, repairs and the creation of a worldwide pool of aircraft components.

Airbus stated that through the expertise offered in the joint venture, the companies will meet the growing long-term maintenance needs of the Airbus A350 worldwide fleet.

According to Airbus’ 2022 financial report, the manufacturer stated that following a feasibility analysis of the supply chain and in response to rising demand for widebody aircraft, they are now aiming for a monthly production rate of 9 A350s by the end of 2025.

The manufacturer stated that more than 1,000 A350 aircraft are currently on order and 550 are in service worldwide.

This is Airbus' second joint venture in Q3 2023, according to GlobalData analysis, demonstrating significant efforts to remove any barriers to advancement.

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