For aeronautics, if the shutdown in the spring of 2020 was abrupt, the recovery is precipitous. Three years ago, the Covid-19 pandemic brought air transport to a standstill: almost all planes could not take off and production lines were idling. But, resilient, the sector, boosted by the resumption of air traffic in 2021 and 2022, has recovered. In Occitania, the supply chain is breathing again, to the rhythm of the reactors, because when Airbus, the engine of the regional economy, goes, it’s a whole sector (770 companies and 75,000 employees , including interim) who is leaving.
At the beginning of May, the European aircraft manufacturer announced that it was increasing the production rates of its best-selling A320, from sixty-five aircraft per month at the end of 2024 to seventy-five per month in 2026. “This announcement is a good signal”welcomes Christian Cornille, president of Mecachrome, a manufacturer of structural parts and aircraft engines. “It’s more fun to deal with a growth plan than a restructuring plan. »
However, this recovery in activity is thwarted by the lack of availability of certain aluminum alloys or stainless steels. “Beyond the volume, the problem is the question of capability”notes Mr. Cornille. “Some suppliers have restructured and specialized in types of titanium and steel and choose to whom to deliver the raw material. Sometimes they don’t do it in our favor. » As a result, the production line for the front cones of aircraft engines at the group’s factory located in Aubigny-sur-Nère (Cher) was shut down for two weeks, in February. “Our client, Safran, had to use its stocks”notes Mr. Cornille.
In addition to this constraint, there are other financial difficulties which weigh on companies’ cash flow. Soaring raw material prices and rising energy costs come as subcontractors have to repay state-guaranteed loans taken out during the health crisis. This combination of factors weakens, from start to finish, the entire production chain, causing a shift in production schedules and, ultimately, part deliveries.
“Our cash has melted. We have nothing left”observes Sabrina Dos Santos, president of the Vidal company (precision machining of parts for landing gear), based in Saint-Martin-du-Touch, a district of Toulouse. “We are at a stage where, if we do not accept the imposed prices, we produce at a loss. »
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