Airbus says aviation industry has roared back faster than expected
Airbus delivered 735 commercial aircraft to 87 customers around the world in 2023, demonstrating strong performance despite a complex operating environment.
An 11 per cent rise in deliveries meant Airbus kept the top manufacturing spot against Boeing for a fifth year in a row.
The commercial aircraft business registered 2,319 new orders. As a result, its 2023 year end backlog stood at 8,598 aircraft.
“2023 was a landmark year for Airbus’ Commercial Aircraft business with exceptional sales and deliveries on the upper end of our target,” said Guillaume Faury, Airbus chief.
“A number of factors came together to help us achieve our goals, including the increased flexibility and capability of our global industrial system, as well as the strong demand from airlines to refresh their fleets with our most modern and fuel-efficient aircraft.” Guillaume added:
“This is a remarkable achievement. My thanks goes to our customers, supplier partners and all the Airbus teams who made it happen.”
“We originally anticipated aviation to recover sometime in the 2023-2025 timeframe, but what we saw in 2023 was, alongside the single-aisle market, widebody return much sooner than expected, and with vigour,“ said Christian Scherer, Airbus’ newly appointed chief executive of the Commercial Aircraft division.“
“A big thumbs up to our commercial and regional teams, and importantly, a big thank you to our customers for their trust and partnership. We have never sold as many A320s or A350s in any given year, not to mention welcoming seven new customers for the A350-1000. Travel is back and there is serious momentum,” Christian added.
“I’m proud to say there are now 735 more fuel-efficient Airbus jets flying today, paving the way to our lower carbon future. It’s the orders we win today that will support us in investing in innovative and even more sustainable solutions tomorrow.”
Airbus employs 5,000 staff at its Broughton plant, near Chester, making wings for all its commercial aircraft, and around 3,000 staff at its Bristol plant in Filton.
