Airbus, 793 aircraft delivered in 2025 just above revised target

In 2025 Airbus delivered 793 commercial aircraft to 91 customers worldwide. 4% more than last year when 766 aircraft were delivered and slightly exceeding its revised target of 790 aircraft, when it was lowered from its previous target of 820 aircraft due to problems that emerged with one of its Spanish suppliers. In a statement, Airbus warned that the 'complex and dynamic operating environment' continued with gross orders reaching 1,000 in the commercial aircraft sector for a net total of 889 after cancellations, both higher than 2024.

The order book at the end of December 2025 stands at 8,754 aircraft a record for the manufacturer. Deliveries in December alone totalled 136, allowing Airbus to slightly exceed its target of 790 units. The month of December was particularly challenging for Airbus due to problems that emerged with on-board software due to which around 4,000 aircraft in the A320 family were upgraded within hours and problems with the fuselage panels of around 600 A320neo.

In terms of orders in the last week of December alone, the aircraft manufacturer signed contracts for more than 140 narrow-body A320 jets with Chinese airlines and one lessor. "We have worked hard to try to minimise the impact of these issues on our customers," said Christian Scherer, outgoing head of Airbus' commercial aircraft division who was replaced by Lars Wagner on 1 January, during a conference call. The problem of engine delivery delays continues to weigh on Airbus. "We believe this trend will continue in 2026," Scherer said, particularly in the narrow aisle aircraft division. "We are negotiating with Pratt & Whttney (one of the engine manufacturers of the A321neo, ed) it is an issue that needs to be resolved."In 2025, Airbus delivered 793 commercial aircraft to 91 customers worldwide. 4% more than last year when 766 aircraft were delivered and slightly exceeding its revised target of 790 aircraft, when it was lowered from its previous target of 820 aircraft due to problems that emerged with one of its Spanish suppliers. In a statement, Airbus warned that the "complex and dynamic operating environment" with gross orders reaching one thousand units in the commercial aircraft sector for a net total of 889 after cancellations, both higher than 2024. The order book at the end of December 2025 stands at 8,754 aircraft a record for the manufacturer.

Airbus's results confirm UBS analysts' view that supply chain issues and thus deliveries are improving: by 2026, at least 1600 aircraft are expected to be delivered between Airbus and Boeing, compared to around 1400 in 2025. In particular, Airbus has improved contractual conditions with suppliers: 'We expect better inventory management, and thus cash generation, in the supply chain, which will allow the company to invest and accelerate production,' the analysts write. Problems related to delays in the delivery of engines and aircraft interiors remain, but 'will probably be much less important than in the period 2022-2025'.

Boeing, which will release its order and delivery results for 2025 on Tuesday, "continues to improve its delivery rate, with continued inventory decumulation, supporting its suppliers where regulatory hurdles appear to be the main obstacle," according to UBS analysts. Boeing still has production of the 737 Max limited to 42 per month on the instructions of the FAA, the US aviation agency. Between January and November, the US manufacturer delivered 537 aircraft and has orders net of cancellations for 908 aircraft. At the same time, Boeing has probably overtaken Airbus in terms of aircraft orders, partly due to US President Donald Trump's support for agreements with foreign airlines.