Airbus delivered 46 aircraft in February 2023, a significant increase from January. Which airlines took deliveries and placed orders last month?
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When it comes to widebody aircraft, a total of three aircraft were delivered in February - one Airbus A330-900, and two Airbus A350-900s. The former was taken by CIT Leasing (ultimately bound for Condor), while the latter were delivered one each to China Eastern Airlines and Turkish Airlines. These latest statistics, released today, bring the total number of aircraft deliveries made by Airbus so far this year to 66, to 42 different customers.
A seemingly bumper month for orders
The major order news for Airbus in February was the reinstating of Qatar Airways' previously canceled order for 50 Airbus A321neos and 23 Airbus A350-1000s. At the start of the month, the airline buried the hatchet with Airbus after its long-running legal saga surrounding the Airbus A350, meaning that it was once again happy to proceed with the planned order.
British Airways was another significant customer for Airbus in February. The carrier placed an order for seven Airbus A320neos and three Airbus A321neos. Airbus has not disclosed the customer(s) of the other 15 Airbus A320neo orders. When the private order for a single Airbus A319neo is included, Airbus' total gross orders for February come to 99, compared to 37 in January 2023.
Interestingly, the recent historic order from Air India for 140 Airbus A320neos, 70 Airbus A321neos, six Airbus A350-900s, and 34 Airbus A350-1000s has not yet been included in Airbus' statistics.
How do these figures compare to February 2022?
While the apparent ramp-up in activity from January to February 2023 seems promising, it is important to remember that the bulk of last month's orders (73 of a total of 99) were not new orders, but rather reinstated orders from Qatar Airways. In addition, if we compare the statistics to the same period last year, there has been a drop in both deliveries and orders. In February 2022, Airbus delivered 49 aircraft, and took orders for 113 more.
That said, Airbus still has plenty to keep it busy going forward. In addition to the substantial order from Air India, Delta Air Lines will also continue to be one of the manufacturer's most significant customers, with an outstanding order for over 200 narrowbody and widebody aircraft.