Airbus ups March deliveries
Airbus delivered 60 aircraft in March, a monthly figure the company says supports a stronger 2026 outlook. (x.com) The aviation briefing also notes British Airways is reworking schedules toward Asia and Africa as Middle East flying shrinks, and Boeing is increasing output at its Everett plant for the 737 MAX. (x.com) (x.com)
Airbus handed over 60 jets in March, its strongest month of 2026 so far, after a weak start to the year. (airbus.com) The March total lifted Airbus to 114 deliveries in the first quarter, to 46 customers, after 19 aircraft in January and 35 in February. Airbus also logged 331 gross orders in March alone. (airbus.com) (aerotime.aero) That rebound still left first-quarter deliveries down 16% from the 136 aircraft Airbus had delivered by the same point in 2025, according to Reuters. Airbus has said it is still targeting about 870 deliveries for 2026 despite supply-chain pressure. (money.usnews.com) (globalbankingandfinance.com) The mix of March handovers shows where demand is concentrated. Airbus delivered 24 A321neo jets and 17 A320neo jets, meaning narrowbody aircraft made up most of the month’s output, with smaller numbers of A220, A330neo and A350 models. (aviation24.be) The order book tells the same story. Airbus’s March deals included A320neo-family orders for Delta Air Lines, China Eastern Airlines, Juneyao Air and NAS Aviation Services, plus A330-900, A350-900 and A350F orders that pushed total gross orders to 331. (aviation24.be) Airbus’s delivery pace matters because airlines are reshuffling networks around aircraft availability and geopolitics at the same time. British Airways said on April 9 it would cut Middle East flying, drop Jeddah, reduce Dubai, Doha, Tel Aviv and Riyadh service, and add capacity to Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad and Nairobi. (globalbankingandfinance.com) Boeing is moving in parallel on the supply side. Boeing said on April 7 that it will open a new 737 Max production line this summer in Everett, Washington, its first time building 737s there, to expand single-aisle capacity. (boeing.com) That means the 2026 contest is not about demand alone. Airbus has a backlog of 9,087 aircraft after March, and Boeing is adding factory space, but both manufacturers still have to turn orders into finished jets fast enough for airlines rewriting schedules now. (airinsight.com) (boeing.com)
