Airbus is setting its sights on lofty new production targets, projecting delivery of 800 commercial aircraft in 2024—a 65-unit increase over last year. This ambitious goal comes even as the European aerospace titan continues to face stubborn supply chain disruptions and component shortages.
Yet Airbus believes it can reach these higher altitudes through sheer operational execution and production ramp-up efforts. In the words of CEO Guillaume Faury, hitting 800 deliveries “against a backdrop of an operating environment that remains complex and affected by supply chain challenges and geopolitical conflicts…that’s quite an achievement in my view.”
The company seems poised not just to match but surpass its 2023 results, having reported Thursday a 4% increase in adjusted earnings to 5.8 billion euros on 11% higher revenue for its commercial aircraft division. This is as rival Boeing faces quality control woes, emergency door failures, and reputational damage.
However, Faury cautioned that Airbus is fully booked with a bulging backlog on narrow-body A320 jets, meaning no short-term sales boost from Boeing’s struggles. Open order slots aren’t available until the next decade, muting competitive impacts for now. Still, Airbus continues to ascend to new heights, with a 14% bigger cash pile of 10.7 billion euros enabling more payouts to shareholders.
As geopolitical crises swirl and supply uncertainties linger, Airbus believes its operating momentum can power through the headwinds. 2024 may see this European juggernaut deliver its most aircraft ever, achieving true market dominance.
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