Airbus needs to deliver aircraft at a record pace to reach its annual target after delivering approximately 60 aircraft in August, according to analysts and industry sources who spoke to Reuters. The European manufacturer has accumulated around 433 deliveries so far in 2025, which is 3% less than the same period last year. Airbus is expected to publish its monthly delivery figures this Friday.
The company’s goal is ambitious: to reach 820 deliveries in 2025, a 7% increase from the 766 recorded in 2024. However, delays in receiving engines and cabin equipment have jeopardized this plan.
Impact of Engines and Airbus’s Strategy
The world’s largest aircraft manufacturer has been caught in a “tug of war” with engine supplier CFM, as airlines compete for spare units against new aircraft assembly lines. These are compounded by delays from another key supplier, Pratt & Whitney.
To get ahead, Airbus has been manufacturing aircraft without engines, known as “gliders.” In its half-year report, it noted 60 of these units awaiting engines. Once the engines are received, the manufacturer requires between one and two months to complete the process and make the aircraft ready for delivery, adding pressure to the third quarter of the year.
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September: True Test
“I still believe it’s possible… but September will be the real test,” said Chloe Lemarie, an analyst at Jefferies.
Rob Morris, a veteran analyst and former head of Cirium Ascend, warned that Airbus will have to surpass even pre-pandemic records. Based on Cirium estimates, which counted 58 deliveries in August, the company would need to deliver an average of 97 aircraft per month between September and December to meet the annual target.
That production level would exceed the highest historical averages by 5%: 92 aircraft in 2018 and 91 in 2019.
Probabilities and Outlook
According to Morris’s statistical calculations, Airbus has only a 5% probability of reaching 810 deliveries this year. His personal forecast is more conservative: around 790 to 800 aircraft.
Despite a slow start to the year, Airbus maintains its lead over Boeing and is on track to finish 2025 as the world’s largest aircraft manufacturer.
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