Supply chain issues have led to delays in aircraft manufacturing for several years now, a problem exacerbated by the increased post-Covid demand. While Boeing has been in the spotlight recently not for the best reasons, Airbus had a record year in 2023, with the most orders it has ever received.
The European aircraft manufacturer delivered 735 commercial planes to 87 customers around the world in 2023, demonstrating strong performance despite a complex operating environment. Airbus also registered 2,319 gross new orders (2,094 net), including 1,835 from the A320 Family and 300 from the A350 Family. As a result, its 2023 year-end backlog stood at 8,598 aircraft. According to the newly appointed Commercial Aircraft CEO, Christian Scherer, this is a record number of orders in Airbus’ history.
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 Scherer, Airbus Commercial Aircraft CEO
“2023 was a landmark year for Airbus’ Commercial Aircraft business with exceptional sales and deliveries on the upper end of our target”, Guillaume Faury, Airbus’ CEO, said in a statement. “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.”
Scherer said the recovery of the aviation industry exceeded the manufacturer’s expectations, coming much sooner than expected, as, according to IATA, the industry already stood at over 99% over pre-Covid levels in November last year. “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”, Scherer added.
While the full financial results of last year will only be revealed in February, the preliminary record orders have been released on the heels of an Alaska Airlines incident involving a Boeing 737 Max 9 plane. Following the incident, the US Federal Safety Administration (FAA) grounded all the Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft, a total of 171, pending safety inspections. The Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) only applies to the planes having a plug-in panel replacing one of the emergency doors mid-aircraft and, while there are no B737 Max 9s in the EU with this configuration, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) also adopted the EAD.
Models from the 737 Max family have been involved in several accidents over the past few years. In 2019, all Boeing 737 Max aircraft were grounded for one and a half years after two crashes occurred within 6 months of each other, a Lion Air flight in Indonesia and an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa to Nairobi. Investigations revealed that both were caused by faulty aircraft. These made way for Airbus to supply 3 times more planes during the pandemic than Boeing.
While neither one of the two manufacturers could meet global demand by itself, Boeing needing to go back to the drawing board and reevaluating the safety of its aircraft makes way for Airbus to take the lead. In early 2022, the European manufacturer announced plans to increase jet production by 50% in the following 3 years, while Boeing’s production still lags behind.
In the most recent demonstration of the high quality of Airbus aircraft, the advanced burn-through resistant materials used for the A350 are considered to have kept the fire contained enough in Japan Airlines’ recent crash with a Coast Guard aircraft in Tokyo, allowing all passengers and crew to safely evacuate the plane.
