Airbus ramps up deliveries as mystery customer orders 40 A320neo family jets
Airbus has released its order and delivery data for June, with the month shaped more by delivery momentum than new aircraft sales.
The manufacturer booked 71 gross orders during the month, but delivered 89 aircraft, giving it a gross book-to-bill ratio of around 0.8. The year-to-date picture remains much stronger, with 886 gross orders, 821 net orders and 351 deliveries, giving Airbus a net book-to-bill ratio of around 2.3.
Undisclosed customers dominate Airbus June aircraft orders
The data shows Airbus secured orders from seven customers in June. This included a single A330-900 for Air Algerie, six A320neo family aircraft for Scoot and a huge 18-aircraft A330neo order from SAS.
However, the bulk of the 71 aircraft sold came from an undisclosed customer, who placed an order for 40 A320neo family jets. These were split between 16 A320neos and 24 A321neos. Another undisclosed customer ordered four A320neo aircraft.
While it would be wrong to speculate on the source of these orders, it’s worth bearing in mind that the biennial Farnborough International Airshow is just days away now. These orders, counted in June, could be disclosed during the airshow to generate more buzz and media attention.
One quieter but strategically interesting June order was for a single A330-800 booked by Airbus Defence and Space. Rather than a conventional airline order, the aircraft is likely destined for military conversion as an A330 MRTT+, Airbus’ new A330neo-based tanker/transport platform.
The order may relate to the Royal Thai Air Force, which Airbus has previously identified as the MRTT+ launch customer, with conversion due to begin in 2026.
Airbus’ delivery ramp up continues at pace
June has proven to be a big month for Airbus deliveries. Since the start of the year, the manufacturer has been accelerating its delivery cadence, although admittedly it was starting from a low point.
January’s deliveries saw just 19 aircraft handed over. By February, this had almost doubled to 35, and in March it had almost doubled again to 60. But Airbus hasn’t stopped there. In April, it handed over 67 aircraft, and in May, it hit a high of 81, adding to one of the best months for commercial aircraft deliveries since COVID.
June has surpassed all those numbers, with a total of 89 aircraft delivered to 49 customers, putting the second quarter of 2026 at a total of 237 handovers. This marks a 108% increase over Q1, which saw just 114 aircraft leaving the factory.
But despite the big numbers, most of the deliveries were for smaller aircraft, with the handovers significantly dominated by single aisles. Of the 89 deliveries, 82 (or 92%) were for narrowbodies, with the A321neo alone accounting for 39. The A320neo saw 34 aircraft shipped out, while the A220 factory handed over nine.
Deliveries on the widebody side were a little quieter, particularly for the A330neo, which saw zero aircraft passed to customers. Widebody deliveries were limited to seven A350s, with three A350-900s going to Emirates, and single jet handovers to Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, EgyptAir and Air France.
Featured image: Airbus
