New Airbus chief says challenging to meet delivery goals: memo

(Reuters) - Airbus faces an unprecedented challenge in ramping up production to meet 2018 delivery targets following engine delays and must eventually overhaul an outdated manufacturing system, the planemaker's new president told staff on Friday.

"We have a battle plan in place for this year and the engine manufacturers are working hard to meet their commitments. Still, we know it will be challenging," Airbus Commercial Aircraft President Guillaume Faury said in an interview for internal circulation, contained in a staff memo seen by Reuters.

"Delivering 80 to 90 aircraft every month in the second half of the year has never been done before. In the long term we must overhaul a single-aisle production system that belongs to a bygone age when high-rate production of aircraft wasn't needed."

(Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Michael Perry)