Airbus Sees Slight Uptick in 3Q Deliveries Despite Supply Chain Strains

Airbus

Airbus delivered 174 aircraft in the third quarter of 2024, a modest increase over the 172 jets delivered in the same quarter last year. However, persistent supply chain challenges continue to restrict the aerospace giant’s production ambitions. For the first nine months of the year, Airbus handed over 497 planes, marking a small improvement over the 488 delivered by this point in 2023. July proved the strongest month so far, with a peak of 77 jets delivered, yet numbers fell below year-ago levels in August and September.

Targeting Year-End Goals Amid Headwinds

To meet its goal of 770 annual deliveries, Airbus must produce and deliver 273 more aircraft in the final quarter — a challenging target as supply constraints limit production increases. The company’s single-aisle aircraft dominated third-quarter figures, with 152 deliveries, led by 84 A321neos and 48 A320neos. Twin-aisle deliveries were split, with 15 A350s and seven A330s.

New orders also trended positively, totaling 340 for the quarter, with September alone accounting for nearly 70% of the total. The A350 saw 33 new orders, a slight uptick from the prior quarter but still below early 2024 levels. Single-aisle models remained the most popular, especially the A321neo, which alone garnered 216 commitments.

Still, Airbus faces a rocky path in the face of complex supply chain disruptions that led to lowered delivery guidance in June. Complications affecting competitor Boeing have compounded industry-wide issues, and Airbus is facing delays in securing crucial components and engines, causing it to defer the A320 ramp-up timeline to 2027. The sector’s recovery from the pandemic continues to be slow, leaving Airbus in a race against time to meet ambitious year-end production targets.