Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said the manufacturer is “reasonably comfortable” with its target of delivering around 870 commercial aircraft in 2026, although 323 jets still had to be handed over in the final three months of the year.
The European manufacturer delivered 547 aircraft through September, 40 more than during the same period in 2025. The total included 68 A220s, 428 A320 Family aircraft, 13 A330s and 38 A350s.
Reaching exactly 870 would require another 323 deliveries between October and December. Chief Financial Officer Thomas Toepfer said during Airbus' nine-month results conference call that this would mean delivering 37 more aircraft in the fourth quarter than during the same period last year.
Airbus' guidance allows for a variation of about 20 aircraft around the 870 target, giving the manufacturer a range of approximately 850 to 890 deliveries for the year.
Production prepared for year-end push
To prepare for the unusually high number of deliveries expected in the final months of the year, Airbus has already spent more money buying parts and building aircraft that have not yet been handed over to customers. The company effectively incurs much of the cost first and receives most of the revenue from those aircraft when they are delivered.
By the end of September, Airbus had €51 billion (US$59.3 billion) tied up in aircraft being built, components and materials, about €10 billion more than at the beginning of the year. That increase helps explain why cash flow was negative by €1.27 billion (US$1.48 billion) through September despite higher sales and profits.
A large number of deliveries in the fourth quarter should reverse part of that effect as finished aircraft leave the factories and customers make their payments.
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Airbus still faces constraints on how quickly it can build those aircraft. Faury said the supply situation has improved, but engines remain the main limitation for A320 Family production, particularly those supplied by Pratt & Whitney.
Airbus generated €50.6 billion (US$58.9 billion) in revenue during the first nine months of 2026, 7% more than a year earlier. Adjusted operating profit increased 8% to €4.50 billion (US$5.23 billion), while net profit rose 36% to €3.59 billion (US$4.18 billion).
The manufacturer received 1,105 net aircraft orders through September and ended the period with 9,310 commercial aircraft in its backlog, equivalent to more than 10 years of production at the current annual delivery rate.
