Manufacturer Logs Nearly 800 Deliveries and Puts $73 Bil in the Pocket

Airbus recently sent out its 2024 earnings report, showing off $72.6 billion in revenue and 766 commercial aircraft deliveries. These figures represent a 6% increase, giving reason to celebrate as its primary competitor, Boeing, mourns a much rougher year.

The European manufacturer reported adjusted earnings before interest and taxes of $5.7 billion and free cash flow of $4.7 billion, comfortably hitting its financial targets. Shareholders had reason to celebrate as well, with Airbus proposing a €2.00 ($2.10) per share dividend along with a €1.00 ($1.05) special dividend.

Order activity remained strong, with 878 gross commercial aircraft orders and a backlog of 8,658 aircraft by year-end. Airbus Helicopters also performed well, securing 450 net orders, while Airbus Defence and Space saw a record €16.7 billion in orders. However, supply chain challenges, particularly involving Spirit AeroSystems, put pressure on the ramp-up of A350 and A220 production. The A350 freighter entry into service was pushed to late 2027, and the A220’s production goal of 14 per month is now set for 2026.

While Airbus was busy ramping up deliveries, Boeing spent most of 2024 dealing with production delays, financial losses, and a massive round of bad headlines. The U.S. manufacturer reported a full-year revenue of $66.5 billion, a 14% decline from 2023. Even worse, Boeing posted a net loss of $11.8 billion for the year, with a staggering $5.46 per share loss in Q4 alone.

Boeing's deliveries also took a nosedive. The company managed just 57 aircraft in Q4 2024, barely a third of the 157 delivered in Q4 2023. The full-year total wasn't much better, with only 348 commercial aircraft produced, down from 528 the previous year. Boeing attributed these issues to labor strikes and cost-cutting measures… but the numbers speak for themselves.

The US plane maker is planning to build its production rates back up in the new year. Meanwhile, Airbus is projecting even stronger results for 2025, targeting around 820 deliveries and an EBIT adjusted of €7.0 billion.

FMI: www.airbus.com