Airbus backlog eases despite significant drop in orders in H1 2024
In its half-year 2024 results, Airbus’ commercial aircraft backlog has decreased to 8,585 units at the end of June, a marginal decrease on the 8,598 total as of the end of 2023. However, overall commercial aircraft orders are drastically down, with gross orders totalling 327 for the first half of 2024 – down on 1,080 for the first six months of 2023.
During 2023, Airbus received a total of 2,319 gross aircraft orders; meaning that the manufacturer would need to sell a record-breaking volume of deals (covering nearly 2,000 aircraft) to match last year’s total sales. However, as Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury explained: “In commercial aircraft, we are focused on deliveries and preparing the next steps of the ramp-up, while addressing specific supply chain challenges and protecting the sourcing of key work packages”.
323 commercial aircraft were delivered in H1 2024, with Airbus targeting around 770 units by the end of the year (slightly down on 2023’s total of 735). This expectation is a revision of its previous guidance, issued in its full year 2023 results, anticipating delivery of 800 units.
Airbus’ production rate figures for the A220 remain unchanged from its full-year 2023 projections: targeting a monthly production rate of 14 A220s in 2026. However, the A320 family ramp-up trajectory has now been “adjusted to reflect specific supply chain challenges,” explains Airbus, with the production of 75 A320 family aircraft a month now shifted from 2026 to 2027. However, within the widebody area, Airbus maintains its projection of producing four A330 aircraft a month in 20224 and 12 A350s in 2028.
