Usine Airbus Helicopters à Marignane
Airbus reported a sharp decline in its operating profit in the first quarter, falling significantly below expectations. The European aircraft manufacturer delivered fewer aircraft and felt the impact of the depreciation of the US dollar.
The group’s adjusted Ebit dropped by 52%, to 300 million euros, while analysts were expecting an average of 348 million euros, according to Airbus’ compiled consensus.
Its revenue decreased by 7% in the first three months of the year, reaching 12.65 billion euros, compared to the average expectation of 12.38 billion.
Airbus is racing against time to deliver the 870 aircraft it has set as a goal for 2026, after delivering 114 commercial planes in the first quarter, a 16% decline from the 136 delivered a year earlier.
The group maintained its forecast for the full year, reaffirming its target to produce 70 to 75 A320 family aircraft per month by the end of 2027.
Despite sustained orders, Airbus is facing delivery delays of engines from its American supplier Pratt & Whitney, who is struggling to meet its needs.
Airbus’ defense and space division revenue rose by 7% year-on-year, to 2.83 billion euros, with the group citing increased volumes recorded by Air Power.
According to CEO Guillaume Faury, as mentioned in the press release, the focus in the defense sector remains on meeting global demand by increasing production across the group’s product and service portfolio.
Revenue generated by Airbus’ commercial aircraft activities declined by 11% to 8.4 billion euros.
The aircraft manufacturer also stated that it is closely monitoring the potential impact of the situation in the Middle East.
(Written by Etienne Breban and Gianluca Lo Nostro, edited by Augustin Turpin)
