Airbus SE needs to deliver 97 planes in December to meet chief executive officer Guillaume Faury’s 2023 goal of 720 handovers.

The planemaker shipped 64 jets in November, it said December 5, bringing the tally to 623 for the first 11 months of 2023. The Toulouse, France-based company also said it booked 113 gross orders last month when it faced off with Boeing Co. for business at the Dubai Airshow.

Output at Airbus typically surges in December, as the European planemaker runs factories at full bore to meet annual targets. The company also completes the final work on aircraft that are largely built and waiting on parts, helping to boost the tally in the final month. In December 2022, the planemaker shipped 98 jets, and it routinely delivered more than 100 at year's end before the COVID-19 pandemic snarled supply chains.

Read more: Airbus Sees Higher Output in 2024 Amid Surging Demand

As recently as November, Faury expressed confidence Airbus could meet its year-end goal.

Planemakers are trying to strike a balance between customers buying planes in record numbers and suppliers struggling to keep up with the faster pace of production. Both Airbus and rival Boeing Co. have encountered roadblocks with manufacturing faults at some parts companies, making output more challenging.