Airbus faces mounting pressure to meet its annual delivery target as production issues continue to impact monthly output.

• Analysts said Thursday that Airbus's annual aircraft delivery target appears "difficult, yet achievable" following the company's September total of 50 planes, down from 55 year-on-year.
• The aviation industry is still facing challenges in renewing its fleets due to supply chain issues and other production problems.
• Citi analysts predict that Airbus may reduce its annual delivery target again in its third-quarter results, as it already did in June.

The company reported lower monthly deliveries on Wednesday, putting its annual production target under pressure due to ongoing supply chain struggles in the industry.

In September, the European planemaker delivered 50 aircraft, a decrease from the 55 aircraft delivered in the same period the previous year.

Despite cutting its annual delivery target from 800 to 770 and delaying the timeline for increasing production of its popular A320 single-aisle jet, Airbus has already delivered 497 aircraft in the year-to-date.

The company stated that it was grappling with ongoing difficulties in its supply chain, particularly in the areas of engines, aerostructures, and cabin equipment.

The year so far has seen 441 single-aisle and 56 widebody deliveries, with top customers being and India's IndiGo, as shown in the monthly update.

In 2023, Airbus recorded a record net orders of 2,094, increasing its order book to 8,598. The company added another 235 orders in September, bringing the annual total to 648.

The aviation industry is facing production challenges and supply chain shortages, which are preventing manufacturers from delivering planes as quickly as desired. Airbus has developed a new model, the A321XLR, which is set to become the world's longest-range single-aisle aircraft. Iberia has been chosen as the launch customer, and the aircraft is expected to launch in the coming months after multiple delays.

Airbus reported a 48.5% decrease in net income to 825 million euros in its half-year results in July, compared to 1.526 billion euros in the same period the previous year. The decline was attributed to the space business, while commercial aircraft deliveries boosted revenue by 4%.

To achieve its annual delivery target, Airbus must increase its activity in the last quarter, according to analysts.

Christophe Menard of Deutsche Bank described September deliveries as "unimpressive" and pointed out a slowdown in the demand for widebody aircraft, including the A350 and A330 models.

Delivering guidance for reaching the year-end will be difficult, but not unattainable, according to Menard in a statement.

Citi analysts stated that a significant increase in production in October is necessary to achieve the target.

Although our base case is to deliver 770 aircraft in the full year, recent low deliveries have decreased the likelihood of achieving this target. As a result, there is now a "reasonable chance" that Airbus will cut its full-year target to 750-760 in its third quarter results at the end of the month.

"The change will have no significant impact on the long-term value of the shares, as we believe the market will recognize the potential upside once it looks beyond the short-term risks," they stated.

Airlines are facing challenges in renewing their fleets with new, fuel-efficient models due to the numerous issues at Airbus rival, including production delays, labor disputes, intense regulatory and customer scrutiny resulting from two fatal crashes and recent in-flight problems involving its planes.

Boeing reported delivering 33 planes in September, a six-plane increase from the previous year. Its own order backlog stands at 5,456.

Airbus shares were 0.5% higher at 12:30 p.m. London time.

— CNBC's Leslie Josephs contributed to this article.