European planemaker, Airbus, recorded a 50% increase in plane deliveries in June compared to May 2020, the highest number since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in March this year.
The planemaker delivered 36 aircraft in June, up from 24 in May and a low of 14 in April. Among the June deliveries are three wide-body A350-900 aircraft for European airlines.
However, despite the increase in deliveries, the company’s first-half deliveries slid to a 16-year low. For the first half of 2020, deliveries fell by 49% to 196 planes, compared with 389 for the same period last year.
Gross orders remained at 365 jets, but net orders adjusted for cancellations slipped by one unit to 298, after lessor Avolon canceled one of 10 A330neos it had ordered.
Airbus was initially planning to cut aircraft production by a third, but that has now increased to 40%. This is as a result of travel restrictions that led to most airlines grounding their fleet, therefore placing no new orders. Henceforth, instead of producing more than 60 of the Airbus A320 model every month, the company will produce only 40 while also reducing A350 rates to 6.
With airlines focusing on survival, Airbus posted no orders for a second month.
The planemaker further says it does not expect air traffic to return to pre-pandemic levels until 2023 at the earliest and potentially not until 2025.
Meanwhile, Boeing only managed to deliver four jets in May 2020, 87% less than it delivered in May last year. The deliveries were the company’s lowest monthly deliveries in six decades. In April 2020, the company only delivered six jets.
In April, Boeing recorded zero orders, the second time this year. Customers canceled 108 orders of its grounded 737 MAX plane, compounding Boeing troubles.
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