While confirming a newspaper report, a spokesman of the company said Airbus has suspended its plans to increase the production of its passenger jets. The move by the plane maker follows the global financial crisis.

The firm usually manufactures about 36 single-aisle aircraft in addition to 10 wide-body A330/A340 aircraft a month. By 2010, the company wanted to boost this up to 40 and 11 respectively to keep pace with record order backlogs. Amidst the widespread credit squeeze and high fuel prices, increasing number of its airline customers are cancelling orders. This scenario has created a serious doubt whether the production rate must be maintained as per the present. Addressing the Wall Street journal, John Leahy, the Airbus sales chief, said the company had been forced to re-examine its production plans under deteriorating financial situation across the globe.

The spokesman said, "We are leaving production where it is for the time being until market conditions improve. But we still have very strong demand, and we are confident that these aircraft are needed."

Earlier in July, Tom Enders, chief of Airbus had said late this year he would review production levels of the A320 single-aisle aircraft family.

Meanwhile, production by Boeing, its principal rival remains halted on account of a five week-old strike by its technicians.

On Monday, a senior executive of Boeing said in Paris that the plane maker would not divulge its production or delivery plans before announcing its quarterly results on 22nd October.