Aircraft orders for November 2020 saw a bumper month, with 16 wide-body and 411 single-aisle aircraft ordered – the best November since 2014. The strong order numbers were driven by airline announcements made at Dubai Airshow, the first to take place since the Covid-19 pandemic caused major impacts across the global aerospace industry.
Manufacturers delivered 92 aircraft during the month, which compared to October 2021 is an improvement and 30% more than November 2020. However, to achieve ADS’s global delivery forecast of 988 aircraft for the year, manufacturers will need deliveries to continue to recover strongly into Q4.
The backlog of aircraft is rising with demand and remains significant at 12,988 aircraft, and despite a slight decrease over the course of the year has increased during previous months and represents several years’ worth of work, worth around £186 billion to the UK aircraft manufacturing industry.
Recent Index of Production figures show that the UK aerospace manufacturing sector contracted 0.8% during October 2021 and remains weaker than in February 2020, with output 38.9% smaller and a continued slow rate of recovery.
It is encouraging to see a rising and strong demand for new modern fuel-efficient aircraft as airlines look to renew their fleets and advance towards global net-zero targets.
Building on the progress made in 2021 to ease travel restrictions and enable passengers to return to the air with confidence will support a stronger and sustained recovery for aerospace and the wider UK economy.
In 2022, monthly production is expected to increase as the slow and volatile journey towards recovery continues. ADS will work with our members across the UK aerospace sector to support them through the year ahead.
ADS is the UK trade organisation representing the aerospace, defence, security and space sectors, with more than 1,100 member businesses.
