Airbus ends 2022 with 661 deliveries

Airbus was unable to meet its initial target of 700 deliveries in 2022 as the European manufacturer ends the year with 661 aircraft delivered. To this several factors with cumulative effects: the consequences of the pandemic on the organization of the supply chain, human resources, the effects of the war in Ukraine on energy costs and its corollary, inflation. "We are clearly below our objectives, but given the complexity of our operating environment, I would like to thank our teams and partners for their efforts and the results achieved," said Guillaume Faury, Airbus Group President. This complex environment will continue into 2023," adds Guillaume Faury, who refuses to make any new delivery projections. However, the Airbus president maintains his objective of 65 medium-haul aircraft per month in 2024 and 75 per month by the middle of the decade. This is nonetheless less precise than 2025.

A 62% jump in net sales

With fewer deliveries than expected and despite 258 cancellations, Airbus' order backlog continued to round out to 7,239 units from 7,082 as of Dec. 31, 2021, thanks to 820 net sales booked in 2022, a 62% year-over-year jump. "Market demand is there, and the recovery is real," says Christian Scherer, Airbus Commercial Aircraft Vice President. This is especially true since the contracts won in 2022 are not only from existing customers (EasyJet, Jet2, Air France, Air Canada, JetBlue, Iberia, ....) but also from new operators, such as Xiamen Airlines. Penalized by the dispute with Qatar Airways and the cancellation of orders for the A330-900 (65), the wide-body segment ended with a negative balance of 55 despite the 24 sales recorded by the A350F. "Of the 13 sales campaigns that took place, eight were taken by Airbus," says Christian Scherer, who nevertheless has no intention of letting himself be down.

Waiting for Air India

Airbus will present its financial results for the year 2022 on February 13 or 16. By then, Air India is expected to have announced its massive order, 500 aircraft, including options, which Airbus will share with Boeing. Nevertheless, this imposing contract will clearly set the trend for the year 2023, as Air India will not be the only one to place an order. A year 2023 at the end of which Airbus expects to be ahead of Boeing again, in terms of deliveries and sales, for the 5th year in a row.