Airbus Struggling In 2025

Airbus has published its monthly delivery and order figures for May, showcasing a further drop.

The planemaker delivered 51 aircraft in May, representing a 4% decrease from the same month in the previous year.

With the latest figures, the year-round total has now reached 243 aircraft, with just June remaining before the halfway point of the year is passed.

The latest performance, which followed in April, saw 56 aircraft shipped off, representing an 8% drop from the figure in March.

Airbus has yet to adjust its guidance, which is the delivery of 820 commercial airplanes by the end of the 2025 calendar year.

Unfortunately, for Airbus to reach this figure based on its performance so far this year, a significant change would need to occur, as the odds are stacked against it.

Even before the planemaker posted its May figures, doubts surrounded the ability to hit the 820 target, with most feeling this would be too steep. However, Airbus reaffirmed its targets.

The target of 820 represented a jump in the manufacturer’s targets for 2024, but it was also not met last year or in the years prior, as complications were also experienced.

A Challenging Year For Airbus

2025 has been yet another intriguing year for Airbus, as improvements were expected across the business before its commencement.

While there has been a visible improvement to a certain extent, there have also been setbacks that were not expected to last as long.

Notable struggles have stemmed from supply chain constraints, such as the delayed delivery of fuselage parts, which have disrupted production timelines.

With timelines thrown out the window, Airbus has been unable to meet delivery targets with its airline customers across all its aircraft families, resulting in its reported figures falling below what it had previously forecast.

Airbus also feels pressure from engine manufacturers who have been entangled in a crisis of their own. Other areas include the installation of seats, with cabins not being completed on time.

In some instances, planes may be ready for delivery. However, the inability to acquire one crucial part throws off test flights and eventual handoff timeframes to customers, leading to frustrations.

Only in the last week did the planemaker confirm that deliveries throughout 2025 were already coming with multi-month delays and didn’t expect challenges to ease anytime soon, stretching at least into the next couple of years.

These challenges on the production floor aside, the most recent political tensions emerging from the United States have added stress to delivering new commercial aircraft to customers based there.

Additionally, there is greater uncertainty than ever before surrounding this, with customers, such as Delta, expressing concerns that they may be forced to cancel existing deals and stop buying from companies like Airbus if tariffs were to increase.