Airbus Updates No.3375

 Airbus Delivers 45 Jets In April

Airbus has today shared details of its deliveries for April. A total of 45 aircraft were delivered during the month. Even though this figure is lower than March’s numbers, it’s a vast improvement on April 2020’s deliveries.

Delta was busy taking deliveries and making orders with Airbus during the month of April. Photo: Delta Air Lines

Year-on-year improvements

In total, 45 aircraft were delivered to 30 customers across the industry last month. This factor brings the total 2021 deliveries to date to 170 units to 55 customers. Moreover, 48 orders for planes were made in the month.

In April 2020, 14 deliveries were made from the A320, A330, and A350 types. Furthermore, only nine new orders were placed during that period.

So, overall, April 2021’s results reflect the improving climate across the aviation industry following the significant downturn amid the pandemic. Notably, last year’s results were on the back of the first mass suspensions and groundings due to the unprecedented flight restrictions.

Including leasing firms, the following companies received aircraft in the month of April:

• A220-300: Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, AirBaltic
• A320neo: IndiGo, ALAFCO (SAS), TAP Air Portugal, China Southern, Frontier (3), flynas (2), ICBC (Air Cairo), CMB (TAP), Juneyao Airlines, Pegasus, GECAS (AirAsia India), GoAir, Sichuan Airlines, BOC Aviation (Azul).
• A321ceo: Delta Air Lines (3)
• A321neo: Air Lease Corporation (Air Arabia), Middle East Airlines, American Airlines, China Eastern, Wizz Air, Turkish Airlines, Aviation Capital Group (Juneyao Airlines), BOC Aviation (Ural Airlines), JetBlue, VietJet, Cathay Pacific Aircraft (Cathay Pacific), Turkish Airlines, Boc Aviation (Azul)
• A330-900: CIT Leasing (Corsair), Delta Air Lines
• A350-900: Air France, China Eastern, China Southern, Air France, Air China (2)

As expected, orders for new widebodies have been minimal amid the challenges that long-haul travel is facing in the present climate. Photo: Getty Images

Busy in Atlanta

Looking at the breakdown, Delta Air Lines was one of the most prolific airlines when it came to deliveries in April. Additionally, it has also been busy placing orders. The airline ordered 25 A321neos on April 22nd. The airline stands out as leasing powerhouse Avolon made up the remaining orders, which are split between 12 A321neos and 14 A320neos.

Hopeful signs

Altogether, Airbus will be glad that there is an improvement in deliveries and orders this year. The manufacturer reported a first-quarter net profit of €362 million ($439 million) last month. This means that the business has reported three profitable quarters in a row, a contrast to the loss of €481 million ($522 million) in Q1 2020.

Airbus will undoubtedly be hoping that the conditions continue to progress heading into the summer. The improved situation across certain regions such as the United States gives hope for continued growth. However, several regions still remain heavily impacted by the difficulties of the pandemic as the vaccine rollout continues.