Airbus delivered 74 aircraft in October, faces year-end sprint to hit 2026 target

 Airbus delivered 74 aircraft in October, bringing its total for the first 10 months to 621 and leaving a sizable year-end push to reach its target of about 870 deliveries for 2026. The planemaker would need to hand over another 249 aircraft in November and December, an average of about 125 a month, to hit the figure, which would be a record annual tally. 

Single-aisle jets made up most of October’s deliveries. Airbus delivered 39 A321neos, 15 A320neos, nine A220-300s and one A319neo, along with four A330-900s and six A350s. Deliveries for the first 10 months included 560 single-aisle jets, 17 A330s and 44 A350s.

Airbus booked 202 gross orders in October. Avolon and Aviation Capital Group each ordered 75 aircraft, and CIT Leasing ordered 35. For the year so far, gross orders are 1,376, and net orders are 1,305 after 71 cancellations.

In its third-quarter update in October, Airbus kept its delivery target and left production goals unchanged. Although the company typically hands over more aircraft toward the end of the year, it has cut delivery forecasts before because of engine shortages and wider supply chain problems.