(Reuters) - Airbus is studying a possible increase in production of its medium-haul A320 aircraft once a planned revamped model enters the market but the immediate priority is to ensure a smooth entry to service, sales chief John Leahy said.
Airbus currently produces 42 of the existing model each month. It plans in 2015 to introduce a fuel-saving version with new engines that has so far outsold a comparable Boeing jet.
In an interview, Leahy reiterated Airbus hoped to maintain 60 percent of the crucial market for the industry's most popular jets, something Boeing is expected to fight hard to resist.
Asked whether Airbus would increase production to reflect its current sales advantage, Leahy said, "We are studying that," but stressed such an increase would be years away. Output of the current-generation A320 will remain stable, he added.
Airbus may announce an order for the A380 superjumbo among several deals to be announced at the June 17-23 Paris air show, Leahy told Reuters on the sidelines of an IATA airlines summit.
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