As Airbus Beats 2025 Planes Target, What Hurdles are Ahead?

Airbus has exceeded its revised annual targets for 2025, delivering 793 commercial aircraft to 91 customers globally.

This performance represents a 4% year-on-year increase and is the highest output for the European aviation manufacturer since the industry-wide disruption of the early 2020s.

Despite navigating a complex and dynamic operating environment, the company recorded 1,000 new orders from 57 customers, resulting in 889 orders after cancellations.

This performance has pushed the total order backlog to a new historic peak of 8,754 aircraft by year-end. 

The Airbus figures underscore a "healthy book-to-bill" ratio above one, signalling sustained demand for both single-aisle and widebody models as the sector continues its industrial ramp-up towards pre-pandemic production levels.

Record growth for commercial aviation

"The overall situation is much brighter now with a great deal fewer bottlenecks," says Christian Scherer, outgoing CEO of the Commercial Aircraft business at Airbus.

Christian says the upward trajectory of deliveries in 2025 was supported by landmark handovers of the A220, A321XLR, A330neo and A350-1000 across all major regions.

At the start of 2025, Airbus forecast 820 deliveries, a figure later adjusted downwards to 790 as supplier constraints persisted.

By achieving 793 units, Airbus has demonstrated resilience in its assembly operations, providing a stable foundation for the further production increases planned for the 2026 financial year.

Navigating persistent supply chain hurdles

Despite the optimistic delivery figures, the manufacturing process faced significant challenges from tier-one suppliers throughout the year.

Christian says that, while general bottlenecks eased, specific components remained problematic.

He says "jet engines for the A320neo family continued to arrive very, very late in 2025".

This delay forced Airbus to manage airframes in various stages of completion at its final assembly lines.

Airbus says it has responded by working hand-in-hand with key partners to improve delivery situations, though the company admits that the loss of technical expertise across the wider industry remains a lingering concern that requires intense training and knowledge transfer.

Widebody strength fuels massive backlog

A standout feature of the 2025 results is the unprecedented demand for twin-aisle aircraft.

The widebody backlog reached a record 1,124 units, driven by major orders for the A330neo and A350.

High-profile deals included STARLUX of Taiwan ordering A350F freighters and China Airlines securing 10 A350-1000 jets.

The resurgence was further demonstrated during the Paris Air Show, where Riyadh Air signed for 25 A350-1000s, an agreement that could double in the coming years.

By securing 295 widebody orders in a single year, the company has solidified its position in the long-haul market.

Strategic momentum into the future

The final quarter of 2025 saw a flurry of activity, particularly at the Dubai Air Show, where flydubai placed an order for 150 A321neo aircraft.

Other notable wins included IndiGo's commitment to the A350-900 and Korean Air's adoption of the A350F.

These orders suggest that Airbus is capturing the mid-to-long-haul market previously unreachable by single-aisle aircraft.

Looking ahead, the company is focused on its goal of producing 75 single-aisle aircraft per month by 2027.

With supply chain issues expected to continue easing and new assembly lines launching in 2026, the company aims to convert its massive backlog into active fleet capacity.