Airbus ended the first half of 2021 with 165 new commercial jet orders. However, due to cancellations, the planemaker saw its backlog grow to just 38 aircraft.
The positive result was only possible thanks to the order for 70 A321neo announced by United Airlines in June. The higher-capacity variant of the single-aisle family of aircraft contributed a balance of 69 units, offsetting the reduction of 52 A320neo aircraft in the period.
Despite three cancellations, the A220-300 ended the semester with 18 net orders. Airbus’ flagship long-range aircraft, the A350-900 won five new orders, but these were canceled by the same amount of lost orders.
Compared to the same period in 2020, net orders fell by 1.275%. Last year, Airbus ended the first half with 298 net orders, most from deals closed in January, just before the Covid-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented disruption in the industry.
Deliveries grow
Airbus managed at least to resume a higher pace of deliveries in 2021. If last year only 196 aircraft had been shipped to customers in the first six months, this year the total reached 297 (growth of 52%).
In June alone, there were 77 commercial jets, 57 of the A320 family. The widebody A350 had 11 deliveries made last month, bringing the year’s total to 30 units.
In recent statements, Airbus has revised its production schedule, predicting an increase in the pace of assembly of its jets in the coming years. The forecast is that air travel demand will return to the pre-pandemic level around 2023.
Aircraft delivered in June
| Customer | Qt. | Model |
|---|---|---|
| Air Canada | 3 | A220-300 |
| Air Baltic | 1 | A220-300 |
| Delta | 1 | A220-300 |
| AEROFLOT | 1 | A320neo |
| AIR TRAVEL | 1 | A320neo |
| FRONTIER AIRLINES | 1 | A320neo |
| JAZEERA AIRWAYS | 1 | A320neo |
| PRIVATE CUSTOMER | 1 | A320neo |
| SIBERIA AIRLINES | 1 | A320neo |
| SKY EXPRESS | 1 | A320neo |
| VISTARA | 1 | A320neo |
| VIVA AIR COLOMBIA | 1 | A320neo |
| AIR CHINA | 2 | A320neo |
| CHINA EASTERN AIRLINES | 2 | A320neo |
| FLYNAS | 2 | A320neo |
| SPRING AIRLINES | 2 | A320neo |
| SICHUAN AIRLINES | 4 | A320neo |
| SPIRIT AIRLINES | 4 | A320neo |
| VOLARIS | 5 | A320neo |
| Delta | 1 | A321ceo |
| Aer Lingus | 1 | A321neo |
| AIR CHINA | 1 | A321neo |
| Air Transat | 3 | A321neo |
| AMERICAN AIRLINES | 2 | A321neo |
| Cathay Pacific | 1 | A321neo |
| CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES | 1 | A321neo |
| GULF AIR | 1 | A321neo |
| INDIGO | 1 | A321neo |
| JETBLUE AIRWAYS | 2 | A321neo |
| JUNEYAO AIRLINES | 1 | A321neo |
| LUFTHANSA | 1 | A321neo |
| MIDDLE EAST AIRLINES | 1 | A321neo |
| PEACH | 1 | A321neo |
| Salam Air | 1 | A321neo |
| Scoot | 1 | A321neo |
| SPRING AIRLINES | 2 | A321neo |
| TURKISH AIRLINES | 2 | A321neo |
| Vistara | 1 | A321neo |
| WIZZ AIR HUNGARY | 2 | A321neo |
| Airbus Defense | 1 | A330-200 |
| Corsair | 1 | A330-900 |
| Delta | 1 | A330-900 |
| AEROFLOT RUSSIAN AIRLINES | 3 | A350-900 |
| AIR FRANCE | 1 | A350-900 |
| CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES | 1 | A350-900 |
| JAPAN AIRLINES | 1 | A350-900 |
| SCANDINAVIAN AIRLINES | 1 | A350-900 |
| SINGAPORE AIRLINES | 1 | A350-900 |
| World2Fly | 1 | A350-900 |
| Cathay Pacific | 1 | A350-1000 |
| Air Caraibes | 1 | A350-1000 |
| Emirates | 1 | A380 |
