The European plane manufacturer delivered 661 aircraft this past year, an eight percent increase over 2021. Airbus also registered 1,078 gross new commercial orders in 2022, bringing its order backlog to 7,239 aircraft. The deliveries went to 84 customers worldwide in 2022 as a range of carriers acquired Airbus aircraft, some for the first time.

The final number of aircraft fell slightly short of the 700 deliveries for the year, estimated at the company's most recent earnings report in September. Two aircraft delivered this year were previously marked as sold in December 2021. The Airbus A350-900s bound for Aeroflot were sent to Turkish Airlines instead following the introduction of international sanctions against Russia. The widebodies notably flew with a hybrid livery before receiving a new paint job last month. Airbus Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury highlighted the increase in orders and downplayed the delivery shortfall:

“In 2022 we served 84 customers with 661 deliveries, an increase of 8 percent compared to 2021. That’s obviously less than we were targeting, but given the complexity of the operating environment, I want to thank the teams and our partners for the hard work and the ultimate result.

“The significant order intake covering all our aircraft families including freighters, reflects the strength and competitiveness of our product line. We continue our ramp-up trajectory to deliver on our backlog.”

2022 Airbus deliveries

This past year was busy for Airbus, with new aircraft going to carriers including Virgin Atlantic, Air Greenland, Condor, and Air France. The Airbus A320 family was by far the most frequently delivered aircraft this past year. The manufacturer sent 516 of the narrowbody aircraft to a range of operators worldwide. In second place is the A350 family of widebodies, which saw 60 aircraft delivered, in addition to the two diverted from Aeroflot to Turkish Airlines.

The Airbus 220 family followed close behind with 53 deliveries, up three from 2021. Rounding out the pack is the Airbus A330 family, which almost doubled its previous year's deliveries to 32 for this past year. Notably absent is the manufacturer's iconic A380 double-decker, which ceased production at the end of 2021, with the final aircraft going to Emirates.

*After a reduction of the two aircraft sent to Turkish Airlines.

New orders abound.

Airbus also gathered 1,078 new orders across all programs and market segments. Which, after cancelations, brings the net total to 820 orders. The popular A320neo family of aircraft won 888 gross new orders to customers from Jet2 to Wizz Air. At the same time, the Airbus A220 won 127 new orders, including a large order to Air Canada.

Airbus garnered 63 gross new orders in the widebody segment, including 19 Airbus A330s and 44 Airbus A350s. A significant percentage of the A350 orders were for the recently launched A350F freighter variant, with orders coming in from the likes of Singapore Airlines and Etihad.

What's next for Airbus?

Simple Flying previously looked at what lies in store for Airbus over the coming months. A key emphasis for Airbus in the coming year is sustainability and the use of sustainable aviation fuel following its successful test flight with the RAF Voyager. The manufacturer will also look to increase production rates and continue to test its upcoming Airbus A321XLR long-range aircraft. A test flight of the prototype recently flew for 13 hours, writing an "XLR" in the sky above The Bay of Biscay.

Airbus forecasts global demand for 39,490 new passenger and freighter aircraft over the next 20 years, split between 31,620 single-aisle aircraft and 7,870 widebodies. The need for freighters is expected to reach 2,440 aircraft over the next 20 years, with nearly 900 of these being new and the rest coming from passenger-to-freighter conversions.

• 

  Airbus

  Stock Code:

  AIR

  Date Founded:

  1970-12-18

  CEO:

  Guillaume Faury

  Headquarters Location:

  Toulouse, France

  Key Product Lines:

  Airbus A220, Airbus A320, Airbus A330, Airbus A340, Airbus A350, Airbus A380

  Business Type:

  Planemaker