Airbus delivered 611 commercial aircraft to 88 customers in 2021, a figure it says demonstrates resilience and recovery from the effects of the pandemic, with progress made on plans to ramp-up production.
Around 25% of commercial aircraft in 2021 were delivered using the established ‘e-delivery’ process, introduced during the pandemic as a means to allow customers to receive their aircraft with minimal need for their teams to travel.
In 2021, Airbus doubled its gross order intake compared to 2020, with 771 new sales (507 net) across all programmes and market segments, which the company says signals renewed market confidence.
The A220 won 64 firm gross new orders and several commitments from airlines worldwide. The A320neo Family won 661 gross new orders. In the widebody segment, Airbus won 46 gross new orders including 30 A330s and 16 A350s, of which 11 were for the newly launched A350F, which also won an additional 11 commitments.
In terms of the number of aircraft units, Airbus recorded a gross book-to-bill ratio above one. At the end of 2021, Airbus’ order backlog stood at 7,082 aircraft.
Airbus will report Full Year 2021 financial results on 17 February 2022.
“Our commercial aircraft achievements in 2021 reflect the focus and resilience of our Airbus teams, customers, suppliers and stakeholders across the globe who pulled together to deliver remarkable results. The year saw significant orders from airlines worldwide, signalling confidence in the sustainable growth of air travel post-Covid” said Guillaume Faury, CEO of Airbus. “While uncertainties remain, we are on track to lift production through 2022 to meet our customers’ requirements. At the same time we are preparing the future of aviation, transforming our industrial capabilities and implementing the roadmap for decarbonisation.”
In 2021, deliveries comprised:
