Feb 19 (Reuters) - Planemakers should make gains on jet

output in 2025 despite supply chain problems, and "tariff

whiplash" over changing U.S. announcements on duties, Howmet

Aerospace ( HWM ) CEO John Plant said on Wednesday.

Planemakers Boeing and Airbus have struggled

to meet production targets on new jets, despite healthy order

books and strong demand from airlines, flagging supply chain

snags and labor shortages. The U.S. planemaker is especially

trying to bring production of its strongest-selling 737 MAX jet

back to 38 a month this year after contending with multiple

crises that saw output slump in 2024.

"I do have optimism that we're going to break through

narrow body build and wide body build during this year," Plant

said at the Barclays Annual Industrial Select Conference.

"We can't keep talking about supply chain constraints

year after year. They have to be resolved, or maybe most of them

already are and maybe they are being used as a bit of a fig leaf

sometimes, here or there."

Earlier this month Howmet took a conservative outlook for

2025, with the castings giant forecasting better-than-expected

first-quarter revenue and profits on strong aircraft demand.

Plant said he is hopeful that Boeing ( BA ) will be able to return

to a regulatory-capped rate of 38 737 jets a month, and above.

Plant added that the company has been reacting to

changing tariff announcements from U.S. President Donald Trump,

who said

earlier this month

he would put 25% duties on Mexico and Canada only to give

both countries a temporary reprieve.

"I've got tariff whiplash," Plant said. "One day I face

left, the other day I face right."

He recalled how Howmet was working to put strategies in

place to address the 25% tariffs only to see the threat removed.

"That was a waste of time and effort and energy," Plant

said, adding that he is not complacent over reacting to the

prospect of tariffs.