Airbus expects deliveries to remain at 2020 levels

Airbus expects deliveries of commercial aircraft this year to remain at 2020 levels, describing a “volatile environment” due to the coronavirus pandemic, and has withheld its dividend.

The European aerospace manufacturer delivered 566 commercial aircraft in the 12 months to the end of December, down from 863 aircraft in the same period a year earlier, it said in a statement on Thursday.

For the full year, Airbus swung to an operating loss of €510m from a profit of €1.3bn, while revenues fell 29 per cent to €49.9bn.

Assuming no further disruptions to the global economy and aviation, the company said it expected to deliver the same number of commercial aircraft in 2021 as last year and targeted an adjusted operating profit of €2bn.

“Many uncertainties remain for our industry in 2021 as the pandemic continues to impact lives, economies and societies,” said chief executive Guillaume Faury.

Pandemic-related travel restrictions and a drop in demand have hit the airline industry, pushing Airbus and its rival Boeing to slash production.

Airbus said last month that it would increase production of its A320 family of aircraft more slowly than expected from 40 to 45 a month by the end of this year.