PARIS (Reuters) - Airbus <AIR.PA> operationally hit its main industrial target of 800 aircraft deliveries in 2018 after record handovers in December, said two people briefed on the matter.
The final published number is subject to ongoing auditing checks, with deliveries standing on the 800 threshold, but Airbus is said to be optimistic that the European company has all but averted its first ever missed delivery goal.
The unofficial tally, a European record, includes the Canadian A220 recently taken over by Airbus and reflects a frenetic effort to catch up after engine delays and other snags.
It follows days of speculation over whether Airbus had managed to reach its main industrial goal, after cutting it in November due to gaps in engine supplies.
Airbus declined to comment.
(Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)
