Airbus Deliveries Drop In May

Airbus has published its May orders and deliveries, highlighting a drop in monthly deliveries of about 16% from April.

The manufacturer says it delivered 53 aircraft in May to several leading customers, from Turkish Airlines to Delta, United Airlines, EasyJet, SAS, Spirit Airlines, Lufthansa, and many others. In total, 34 customers acquired aircraft in the month.

Ultimately, however, the drop in deliveries follows Airbus facing continued pressures and setbacks involving its supply chain.

The aviation industry has been facing significant pressure following the outbreak of conflict, inflation, a global pandemic, and more. As a result, aircraft manufacturers have been left scrambling with either labour shortages or a struggle to obtain key parts to build aircraft on time.

Unfortunately, the knock-on effect is more than felt by airline customers, who are unable to take delivery of aircraft on time and, therefore, face financial implications and difficulties across their network.

Despite some evident struggles, the planemaker has remained firm with its target of delivering 800 commercial aircraft to customers in 2024. After the 5th month of the year, Airbus said it had delivered 256 aircraft to 58 customers.

Orders In The Month

Airbus, however, recorded orders in May, with the gross amount reaching 27. The most notable inclusion was an order for 20 A330-900s, part of the A330neo family.

However, the order was from an undislocated customer, and the destination of the commitment remains unknown at this stage.

Furthermore, the manufacturer was also able to secure a purchase from Nordic Aviation Capital for 7 Airbus A321neos. Therefore, just two commercial aircraft orders were confirmed during a slower month for the plane maker.

Looking ahead, July is a busy month for Airbus as the Farnborough Airshow arrives, and several leading airlines are looking to announce landmark orders.

Additionally, Airbus is in continued communication with many other airlines that are eyeing future aircraft purchases and the planemaker hopes to position itself as the frontrunner to win these contracts.