While the official information from the manufacturer has yet to be released, given that November is the last month for which data is available, Airbus would have exceeded its delivery target for last year. Last July, Airbus raised its aircraft delivery forecast to 600 aircraft, up from a previous target of 566, after posting better-than-expected half-year results.
Deliveries accelerated towards the latter part of the year. On December 31, for example, six A320neo family aircraft were delivered, according to information provided by the specialist website Hamburg Finkenwerder News and data obtained from flight-tracking software.
According to Reuters, the deliveries included » a wave» of wide-body aircraft, for which demand has been weak as international travel continues to be affected by the pandemic. In December, Airbus delivered about 12 long-range aircraft, although nearly half of them remain out of service.
While Airbus typically ramps up deliveries in the final month of the year, supply chain problems have disrupted assembly of smaller models while the spread of the Omicron variant, which has unleashed new waves of infections across most of the globe, has raised further doubts about the likelihood of an early recovery in long-haul travel.
