Airbus said it delivered a total of 196 commercial aircraft in the first half of the year (H1) as against 389 in H1 2019, marking a 49.6% drop, driven by the difficult market environment impacting the commercial aircraft business.

The company delivered around 50% fewer deliveries year-on-year, which was partly offset by more favourable foreign exchange rates. The company’s deliveries comprised 11 A220s, 157 A320 Family, 5 A330s and 23 A350s.

Its consolidated revenues decreased 39% yea-on-year to € 18.9 billion ($22.2 billion) in the first half (H1) of the year (H1 2019: € 30.9 billion),

Airbus Helicopters reported stable revenues, reflecting lower deliveries of 104 units (H1 2019: 143 units) partially compensated by higher services. Revenues at Airbus Defence and Space were impacted by lower volume and mix, in particular at Space Systems, as well as delays in some programmes caused by the Covid-19 situation.

Airbus said that its net commercial aircraft orders totalled 298 during the first half (H1) of the year, as against (H1 2019: 88 aircraft), including 8 aircraft in Q2, with the order backlog comprising 7,584 commercial aircraft as of 30 June 2020. Airbus Helicopters booked 75 net orders (H1 2019: 123 units), including 3 H145s, 1 Super Puma and 1 H160 during the second quarter alone. Airbus Defence and Space’s order intake increased to € 5.6 billion.

“The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on our financials is now very visible in the second quarter, with H1 commercial aircraft deliveries halving compared to a year ago,” said Airbus Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury.

“We have calibrated the business to face the new market environment on an industrial basis and the supply chain is now working in line with the new plan. It is our ambition to not consume cash before M&A and customer financing in H2 2020. We face a difficult situation with uncertainty ahead, but with the decisions we have taken, we believe we are adequately positioned to navigate these challenging times in our industry.” – TradeArabia News Service