Airbus
Guillaume Faury
Overview
Airbus is Europe's largest aerospace company, spanning commercial aircraft, helicopters, defence and space. In civil aviation it remains Boeing's only true peer at global scale and is pairing near-term production growth with longer-term work on lower-carbon aircraft technologies, future single-aisle designs and hydrogen propulsion. The company combines a mature global airliner business with broader aerospace capabilities across defence, space and rotorcraft. Q1 2026 was unusually weak — 114 deliveries (vs. 136 a year earlier), revenue down 7% to EUR 12.65B and adjusted EBIT halved to EUR 300M due to Pratt & Whitney engine shortages and Chinese delivery disruptions — but Airbus reaffirmed full-year 2026 guidance of ~870 deliveries, EUR 7.5B adjusted EBIT and EUR 4.5B free cash flow, with a record commercial backlog above 9,000 aircraft.
Main Products
The A320neo (new engine option) family is Airbus's best-selling narrow-body airliner family, featuring new-generation engines and Sharklet wingtip devices for 15-20% fuel savings. Includes the A319neo, A320neo, and A321neo variants.
In active production and high demand. The A321neo has become the most popular variant. Airbus is ramping up production to meet a massive order backlog.
The A350 XWB (eXtra Wide Body) is Airbus's latest-generation wide-body aircraft, featuring a carbon-fibre reinforced polymer fuselage and wings for superior fuel efficiency and passenger comfort.
In active production with two variants in service: A350-900 and A350-1000. An ultra-long-range A350-900ULR variant is operated by Singapore Airlines for the world's longest non-stop flights.
The A330neo (new engine option) is an updated version of the proven A330 wide-body family, featuring Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines and new Sharklet wingtips for improved fuel efficiency and range.
In active production with two variants: A330-800neo and A330-900neo. Competes with the Boeing 787 in the mid-range wide-body market.
Airbus's four-seat all-electric eVTOL demonstrator for advanced air mobility, built around a lift-and-cruise configuration with fixed wings, a V-tail and distributed electric propulsion.
Airbus rolled out the prototype in 2024 and continued testing through 2025, but said in January 2025 that it would postpone launching a full urban air mobility programme until battery and energy-storage technologies mature further.
What's Next
A320 Family production ramp to 70-75/month
Airbus still plans to raise A320 Family output materially, with the target now a range of 70 to 75 aircraft per month by the end of 2027 — the timeline pushed out because of persistent Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM engine shortages that are throttling the ramp.
Run integrated ZEROe ground testing
Airbus has confirmed the feasibility of its 100-seat hydrogen fuel-cell ZEROe concept at TRL 3 and now plans integrated ground tests at the Electric Aircraft System Test House in Munich combining hydrogen storage, distribution, and the four-fuel-cell propulsion stack into one validation setup.
Define the next-generation single-aisle platform
Airbus is maturing the engine, wing, battery, materials and systems choices that could support a next-generation single-aisle aircraft with 20-30% better fuel efficiency and 100% SAF capability, targeting service entry in the second half of the 2030s.
Operations & Revenue
Operating at scale across commercial aircraft, helicopters, defence and space. Q1 2026 was a notable setback: 114 commercial deliveries (down from 136), revenue of EUR 12.65B (-7%), and adjusted EBIT halved to EUR 300M, hit by Pratt & Whitney engine shortages on the A320neo line and disrupted deliveries to Chinese customers. Full-year 2026 guidance of ~870 deliveries, EUR 7.5B adjusted EBIT and EUR 4.5B free cash flow was reaffirmed, and the commercial backlog hit a record 9,037 aircraft at the end of March 2026.
Revenue Streams
Design, manufacturing, and support for the A220, A320 Family, A330neo, A350 and freighter derivatives. This remained Airbus's largest business in 2025 with EUR 52.6 billion in revenue.
Military aircraft, satellites, launch-related systems, secure communications and other sovereign aerospace capabilities. Airbus Defence and Space generated EUR 13.4 billion of revenue in 2025.
Key Metrics
Employees
165,294
Timeline
Airbus reports Q1 2026 with 114 deliveries (vs. 136), EUR 12.65B revenue (-7%) and adjusted EBIT halved to EUR 300M — held back by Pratt & Whitney engine shortages on the A320 line and administrative delivery disruptions for nearly 20 aircraft destined for Chinese customers. Full-year guidance of ~870 deliveries is reaffirmed.