Airbus delivered 611 planes last year, 8% better than in 2020, but still a third less than before the outbreak of Covid-19, devastating for the aviation sector
A strong rebound, but which has not yet erased the effects of the health crisis: Airbus delivered 611 planes last year, 8% better than in 2020, but still a third less than before the outbreak of the Covid-19, devastating for the aviation sector.
Despite a severely deteriorated financial situation, airlines have continued to order new planes, because they must reduce their CO2 emissions through more frugal devices and ensure that they will be equipped for the strong upturn in traffic expected in the long term.
The European aircraft manufacturer thus garnered 507 net orders (771 excluding cancellations) in 2021, against 268 in 2020 and 768 in 2019. Over the year, Airbus will have delivered many more aircraft than its rival Boeing (302 aircraft at the end of November for the American) and is neck and neck when it comes to orders.
The volume of deliveries made slightly exceeds the objective, reassessed upwards during the year, set by the European aircraft manufacturer: 600 planes to be delivered, despite the difficulties of some suppliers in supporting the upturn after months of under-activity. In December alone, Airbus delivered 93 aircraft.
The vast majority of aircraft delivered are single-aisle (A220 and A320 family), more suitable for resuming air traffic. This primarily concerns domestic and continental flights. In this segment, Airbus is counting on a return to pre-crisis levels in 2023 and 2025 for international long-haul routes, traditionally served by wide-body aircraft. In fact, of the 611 aircraft delivered, only 13% concern wide-body aircraft (A330, A350 and the very latest A380s).
From the start of the pandemic, Airbus had reduced its production to 40 single-aisle A320 family (A319, A320 and A321) per month, against 60 previously. It has started to ramp up with 45 A320s produced per month and plans to increase to 65 monthly aircraft in the summer of 2023. It even plans to increase to 75 monthly aircraft in 2025.
Years of production
In terms of orders, Airbus has also moved forward, without yet regaining its pre-crisis level. “This is double what we achieved in 2020, these are the first signs of a recovery and that demand is real,” observed Guillaume Faury.
The aviation sector is forecasting a doubling of global traffic compared to 2019, by 2050. With 507 net orders, they remain, however, a third below their pre-crisis level. Three quarters of the orders are for the A321 alone, the lengthened version of the A320 carrying more passengers.
The aircraft manufacturer must also put into service next year the A321 XLR (for extra long range), which will be able to cover 8,700 kilometers, a market segment on which Boeing has nothing to oppose.
Airbus’ backlog stood at 7,082 aircraft at the end of December, compared with 7,184 a year earlier, ensuring years of production.