According to insiders and industry data, Airbus has exceeded its internal delivery target and remains the largest aircraft manufacturer in the world in the 2020 corona year. The Franco-German company handed over more than the targeted 560 aircraft to customers, it was said in industry circles on Tuesday, but the numbers would have to be checked again.
560 machines would be about a third less than in the record year 2019, in which Airbus overtook arch-rival Boeing with 863 aircraft delivered. The US group, which suffered from the 20-month flight ban for the bestseller 737 MAX, had just handed over 118 aircraft to customers by the end of November – by then there were 477 at Airbus.
Official numbers will follow
Airbus plans to publish official order and sales figures in the next few days. Before that, a spokesman did not want to comment on the information. The industry is suffering massively from the problems of its customers, airlines and aircraft leasing companies who are struggling to survive in the corona crisis. In December, Airbus even handed over two copies of the A380 wide-body aircraft to the Emirates airline from Dubai.
Closed borders in the spring had paralyzed or severely slowed production for a few weeks. The lockdown in Great Britain, where Airbus manufactures the wings for its aircraft, did not lead to any restrictions in December, nor did the UK's exit from the EU. The huge Beluga cargo planes with which the aircraft parts are brought to Hamburg or Toulouse for final assembly are exempt from most travel restrictions in the corona pandemic. “We are working at full speed and will do so over the holidays,” an Airbus spokesman said before Christmas.
