This is the third year that Airbus has beaten its rival Boeing and retains the title of the largest aircraft manufacturer in the world. It did so when it met its target of delivering 600 aircraft by 2021, despite the warning it issued in this regard regarding the outbreak of the Omicron strain.
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The company, which heads the aerospace industry in Europe, said it delivered 611 revenue-generating aircraft last year, up 8% from 2020. More than two-thirds of its supply was from the popular A320 family, single-pass jets used mainly for short- and medium-haul flights. . These flights recovered faster than the long-haul flights.
In the last 12 months, the company has doubled its gross number of orders, ie orders that do not weigh cancellations, when it made 771 new sales. The net number of orders reached 507. Airbus ended the year with a cumulative list of 7,082 invited aircraft.
In terms of shipments, these results highlight Airbus’ lead over Boeing. The American company, which was expected to report its data yesterday, delivered 302 aircraft by the end of November. However, it looks like Boeing is expected to win the order race, having promised 829 gross sales at the end of November.
Airbus CEO Guillaume Puri said the company’s strong performance indicates that airlines believe in the growth of flights after the Corona plague. However, he warned that Airbus and its carriers are closely monitoring the spread of the Omicron strain, although this has not led to significant disruptions.
Airbus has an assembly plant in Tianjin in northern China, which has tightened port controls to help curb the spread of the new strain, which has high adhesion capabilities.
“Omicron has the potential to have a significant impact (on air traffic). But at the moment we do not notice any disruptions or risks that will affect us at a later stage,” Puri said. He added that Airbus has adhered to its plans to increase production of the A320 family of aircraft, with a target of 65 aircraft per month until the summer of 2023.
Some of the suppliers and engine manufacturers have raised concerns about the price increases the company is considering introducing from 2025 onwards. Puri said the company is in a complex situation in the face of supply chain disruptions, noting various challenges it has to deal with, such as raw material supply, logistics and staff availability. “2022 will be an interesting year [אבל] We still believe in our ability to implement our acceleration plans, “he added.
Sash Tosa, an analyst at Partners Agency, said that Airbus had “enough realistic bookings to enable it to reach the 65 bookings threshold”. “The supply chain may be fragile this year, but if they make it through the first quarter, I think Airbus has enough customers to buy 65 aircraft.”
Robert Stallard, of Vertical Research Partners, said he expects the supply chain to continue to load in 2022 and beyond, while both Airbus and Boeing “have raised their rates for narrow-body aircraft at a fairly rapid pace relative to what is common in the aerospace industry.”
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