Airbus Aims For 720 Commercial Deliveries This Year
Last year the planemaker delivered 611 aircraft last year
Airbus is aiming to deliver 720 commercial jets this year. Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury revealed the goal during the planemaker's annual results press conference earlier today. As the aviation industry continues to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, it would put the planemaker on par with 2017's figures.
The pandemic hit all aircraft manufacturers. While airlines weren't flying their existing jets at the height of the pandemic, they saw little point in taking delivery of new aircraft. This led to Airbus' annual commercial aircraft deliveries falling by over a third in the space of a year.
A year of solid recovery
While it had its up and downs for the industry, it appears that overall, 2022 was a year of solid recovery for Airbus. The European planemaker took 771 new aircraft orders. This was more than double the 383 that the company took in 2020.
Of course, it wasn't all good news for Airbus. Once you factor in the cancelations received by Airbus, the manufacturer's net orders came in at 507. This was approximately double to 268 net orders reported at the end of 2020. At the end of 2021, Airbus' order book was valued at €398 billion ($453 billion).
Looking forward
During a press conference on Airbus' results, the company's CEO, Guillaume Faury, revealed that Airbus is aiming to deliver 720 commercial aircraft. This would mean that the company is targeting a production volume similar to 2017 when 718 aircraft were delivered.
The planemaker delivered 30 aircraft to 20 customers in January. If this delivery rate were continued throughout the year, Airbus would only deliver 360 planes, just half of its goal. Major OEMs typically try to get as many planes delivered in December to be counted in the previous year's figures. This means that it is not unusual for January to be a slow month for deliveries.
Faury also revealed that Airbus intends to focus on its people throughout 2022 as its post-pandemic recovery continues. Roughly a month ago, it was reported that the planemaker is seeking to hire around 6,000 new employees. Faury commented that the company wishes to acquire new talent and skills while reinforcing diversity.
Airbus is also looking to ramp up production of the A320neo family. By 2023, Airbus hopes to be building its primary narrowbody jet at a rate of 65 aircraft per month. As part of its work to enable this target, every Airbus A320 production line is being made compatible with A321 production. The company is not expecting any adverse circumstances to affect it in the coming year.
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