Airbus says it remains on course to meet its 2026 targets after delivering more aircraft, securing another wave of major orders and reporting strong growth across its commercial, defence and helicopter businesses during the first half of the year.
The European aerospace manufacturer delivered 351 commercial aircraft during the first six months of 2026, up from 306 during the same period last year, as it continues to increase production to meet unprecedented global demand.
At the same time, airlines continued to place orders at an impressive pace. Airbus recorded 886 gross commercial aircraft orders during the first half of the year, with 821 remaining after cancellations, leaving the manufacturer with a record backlog of 9,222 aircraft waiting to be built.
The figures underline the scale of the challenge facing Airbus as it works with suppliers to increase production rates while maintaining delivery schedules. Despite ongoing supply chain pressures and a complex global trading environment, the manufacturer says it remains confident it can deliver around 870 aircraft during 2026.
Guillaume Faury, Airbus Chief Executive Officer, said: “Our good H1 results mainly reflect the higher level of commercial aircraft deliveries and strong performance in Defence and Space, against the backdrop of a complex and fast-changing environment.
“We are ramping up across all businesses to meet the growing demand for our civil and military solutions. Our focus on steady execution is paying off, as demonstrated by strong deliveries in Q2. This fuels our confidence in our future performance, as reflected in the recently-communicated mid-term outlook.”
Production ramp-up continues
Airbus is pressing ahead with ambitious plans to increase production across its commercial aircraft programmes.
The A320 Family remains the manufacturer’s biggest priority, with production expected to rise to between 70 and 75 aircraft per month by the end of 2027 before stabilising at 75 per month.
The A220 programme is also continuing its gradual expansion, with Airbus maintaining its target of producing 13 aircraft each month by 2028.
Meanwhile, production of the widebody family is also set to increase, with the A350 expected to reach 12 aircraft per month during 2028, while the A330 programme is targeted to reach five aircraft per month in 2029.
Defence and helicopters also perform strongly
Away from commercial aviation, Airbus reported strong momentum across its other businesses.
Airbus Defence and Space generated €9.3 billion in new orders during the first half of the year, almost doubling the €5.1 billion recorded a year earlier, while revenues rose nine per cent to €6.3 billion.
Airbus Helicopters also enjoyed a solid start to the year, securing 215 net orders compared with 171 during the same period in 2025 and increasing deliveries to 144 helicopters.
Financial performance improves
The higher delivery rate helped Airbus increase group revenues by 12 per cent to €33.2 billion during the first half of 2026.
Underlying operating profit (EBIT Adjusted) rose to €2.7 billion, while reported net profit reached €2.24 billion.
Although the company reported negative free cash flow during the first half of the year, Airbus said this reflected a planned build-up of inventory to support higher production rates across its manufacturing programmes rather than any weakening in demand.
Full-year guidance unchanged
Despite ongoing geopolitical uncertainty and supply chain constraints, Airbus has left its full-year guidance unchanged.
The manufacturer continues to expect to deliver around 870 commercial aircraft during 2026, generate adjusted operating profits of approximately €7.5 billion and achieve free cash flow before customer financing of around €4.5 billion.
With more than 9,200 aircraft now in its order backlog and production rates continuing to rise, Airbus enters the second half of 2026 with demand remaining exceptionally strong as airlines continue investing in fleet renewal and expansion.