Airbus SE has delivered 611 commercial aircraft to 88 customers in 2021, consolidating a recovery from the pandemic 2020 crisis, the European manufacturer now plans to increase the production rate of certain models over the course of the next few years.
«Overall our commercial aircraft achievements in 2021 reflect the focus and resilience of our teams, customers, suppliers, and Airbus stakeholders across the world who came together to deliver outstanding results. The year saw significant orders from airlines worldwide, which implies confidence in the sustainable growth of air travel post-COVID» said Guillaume Faury, Chief Executive Officer of Airbus.
«This delivery achievement was only possible thanks to the performance of all our global production facilities and assembly lines in Europe, the United States, Canada, and China. The pandemic has demonstrated the importance of proximity to our customers,» added Faury.
In 2021, deliveries included:
| Modelo | 2021 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| A320 family | 50 | 38 |
| A220 family | 483 | 446 |
| A330 family | 18 | 19 |
| A350 family | 55 | 59 |
| A380 | 5 | 4 |
| TOTAL | 611 | 566 |
.About 25% of commercial aircraft in 2021 were delivered through the «e-delivery» process. The European manufacturer after more than 15 years closes production of its flagship Airbus A380.
Over the past year, Airbus doubled its orders compared to 2020 with 771 new sales across all programs and market segments, this was largely due to the recovery of the domestic market worldwide, where several operators in the United States, Latin America, and Europe placed multiple orders for narrowbody aircraft.
The A320neo family won the largest number of gross new orders with 661 aircraft. During the Dubai Airshow, there was a considerable upturn in orders for this model. Continuing in the narrowbody segment, the A220 family won 64 new gross firm orders and several commitments from a number of global airlines such as Qantas.
«We acknowledge the strong support from airlines and airline groups for our single-aisle portfolio and we will work to live up to that confidence and deliver on our commitments to enable these airlines to prepare for their long-term future,» commented Christian Scherer, Director and Chief Operating Officer of Airbus International.
The A330 was the most ordered widebody aircraft with 30 units and the A350 recorded 16 orders, 11 of its freighter variant, which also won an additional 11 commitments.
By the end of 2021, Airbus’ aircraft order backlog stands at 7,082 aircraft.
See also: Airbus may have exceeded its delivery target for 2021
