Highest Order Backlog Airbus Expects a Record Year

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Airbus reports strong profits and plans to deliver more jets in 2026 than ever before. The defense and space division also managed to return to profitability.

The world's largest aircraft manufacturer, Airbus, aims to deliver more jets to customers in 2026 than ever before. CEO Guillaume Faury plans to deliver around 870 commercial aircraft, as the Dax-listed company announced on Thursday (February 19) in Toulouse. This would surpass its record of 863 jets from 2019, which had not been nearly reached again since the COVID-19 crisis.

Problems With Engine Deliveries

However, Airbus continues to struggle with sluggish engine deliveries from U.S. manufacturer Pratt & Whitney. The production plans for the highly demanded A320neo model family are therefore being pushed further into the future. Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury explicitly blamed the engine manufacturer for the additional delays.

In recent years, Airbus repeatedly missed its delivery targets due to a shortage of engines and other components. In 2025, the engine manufacturers were able to make up for their delays from the first half of the year, but a supplier of fuselage parts faltered: due to quality defects in certain coverings, Airbus had to inspect hundreds of practically finished jets from November onward. Instead of the previously targeted 820 aircraft, Airbus delivered only 793 units.

Orders Are Sufficient for Ten Years

Airbus is not lacking in orders—quite the opposite: by the end of December, the company held a record order backlog of 8,754 passenger and cargo aircraft. Based on the planned deliveries for 2026, the orders would theoretically keep production busy for over ten years. The production of the A320neo family is already fully booked well into the next decade.

Airlines must therefore order new aircraft well in advance. The only major Airbus competitor, Boeing from the USA, has been in crisis for years and has fallen far behind the European manufacturer in the meantime. Nevertheless, it also holds a massive order backlog and is struggling to keep up with demand.

Profit Increases by a Quarter

Last year, Airbus revenue rose by six percent to 81 billion US dollars Adjusted operating profit jumped by a third to just over 8 billion US dollars, and the bottom line showed a surplus of around 6 billion US dollars, nearly a quarter more than the previous year. For the current year, the Airbus management expects an increase in profit before interest, taxes, and special effects (adjusted EBIT) to around 8 billion US dollars. Industry experts had been expecting more than 9 billion on average.

Growth was not limited to the core business of passenger aircraft. The helicopter division also managed to increase its revenue and adjusted operating profit. The defense and space division returned to profitability after high special costs for satellite programs and the A400M military transporter had pulled the business unit deep into the red the previous year.

Boeing in Trouble

Competitor Boeing, meanwhile, achieved its first annual profit since 2018 in 2025—and owed this solely to the sale of a division. The U.S. company had struggled with quality defects in many areas since two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 and a prolonged grounding of its key model, the 737 Max, and faced accusations of cutting corners on safety. After a near-miss incident in early 2024, authorities cracked down and imposed strict restrictions on Boeing.

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