Airbus has had a mixed 2024. There have been plenty of orders coming in but constraints on how fast it can get aircraft out due to supply chain problems.
The certification and entry into service of the A321XLR was a key milestone for the company, but its widebody products have been performing well too. We take a look at what we can expect from Airbus in 2025.
Airbus will be keen to capitalize on widebody success in 2025
The A350 has had an excellent year, with numerous new future customers added to Airbus’ books. These include EVA Air, IndiGo, and Korean Air. Previous customers including Abra Group (Avianca), Delta Air Lines, and Japan Airlines came back for more, and airlines including Emirates took delivery of the first of the type.
The healthy trajectory of the A350 is likely to continue, particularly the larger A350-1000. As the biggest passenger aircraft currently in production, and with Boeing’s 777X delayed again, Airbus will be hoping for more customers for its big jet in 2025.
Alongside the A350, Airbus has been collecting orders for a freighter version, the A350F. Orders are in from many major carriers, including Air France-KLM, Cathay Pacific, Turkish, Starlux and Etihad. We won’t see the A350F enter service in 2025 – that will come a year later – but we should see it beginning its flight test campaign in the second half of the year.
Complementing the A350 is the A330neo, which has also had a good year for orders, with new customers in Vietjet and Cathay and top-up orders from Virgin Atlantic and Starlux. Going head-to-head with Boeing’s Dreamliner is a tough task for the jet, but it’s holding its own so far, with 75 ordered in 2024. Airbus will be hoping for more interest in the neo across 2025.
The ‘gamechanging’ XLR will feature prominently in 2025
With the first XLR delivered to Iberia, Airbus is ready to step on the gas in rolling this long-range narrowbody out to customers. Several were already built prior to certification, so if those don’t get pushed out before the year-end, we could see a flurry of deliveries in early 2025. With the type in service and proving its capabilities, there could well be more orders incoming, too.
But it’s not just the XLR giving Airbus a buoyant position in the narrowbody market. The A321neo family, in general, is a high flyer for the planemaker, with 85% of its single-aisle orders in 2024 coming from the largest variant.
More than half its narrowbody deliveries have been for the A321neo, and with Boeing unable to supply a functional response to the Airbus product, we can expect to see more airlines plumping for the longest single-aisle in 2025.
Airbus will focus on ramping up production
Before 2024, Airbus set itself a goal of producing 75 A320neo family aircraft per month by 2026. By the end of November, Airbus had delivered 510 A320 family aircraft, 306 of which were A321neo variants. That indicates a current production rate of 46 – 47 aircraft a month, a long way from its 2026 target. Airbus has now pushed that goal out to 2027 and will be keenly pursuing a ramp-up in production through 2025 to lay the foundations for this increase.
On the widebody side, Airbus is targeting to produce 10 A350s per month by 2026, which is about what it produced before the pandemic. The timeline on that hasn’t changed yet, but 2024’s output remained pretty flat at six aircraft per month. As an interim, supply chain allowing, we could expect Airbus to aim for eight A350s per month in 2025.
But let’s not forget the baby of the family, the Airbus A220. Airbus is trying to grow its production to 14 aircraft per month by 2026, and by the end of November 2024 had delivered 65. That’s up 12% compared with what was delivered in 2023, although it’s still hovering around the six aircraft per month mark. Ramping up production at Mirabel and Mobile will be a key focus in 2025.
The challenges facing Airbus in 2025
Although Airbus has delivered a solid performance in 2024, it hasn’t been without its challenges. Some of those challenges will persist into 2025, including:
Supply chain issues: Airbus was compelled to adjust its earnings and deliveries forecast mid-year in 2024 due to constraints in the supply chain. From a previous target of 800 aircraft, it reduced its goal to 770 in 2024, and pulled back its commitment to
Geopolitical challenges: From closed airspace to new trade tariffs, the current geopolitical environment is challenging for any global business. Airbus has been reported to be in talks with a Chinese customer for a historic aircraft order, but a rift with the European Commission over electric vehicles that could see more tariffs imposed threatens to destabilize any deal that was forming. Trump is threatening new tariffs too, adding to the insecurity for Airbus.
GTF engine issues: While not directly an Airbus problem, the massively disruptive recall of Pratt & Whitney engines is affecting the supply of engines and parts for new aircraft. CEO Guillaume Faury said in September 2024 that Airbus had agreed to reduce the number of engines that would be delivered to support the in-service fleet. With an estimated 600-plus GTF-powered jets on the ground at any one time, and projections the problem will persist into 2026, it will be challenging for Airbus to ramp up production in this environment.
While the landscape in 2025 is not without its challenges, Airbus is starting from a strong position. Although there are unlikely to be any Earth-shattering revelations from the company in 2025, Airbus will be hoping for a strong performance and an easing of the supply chain woes that have hampered its output in recent years.
