Airbus Delivers 57 Jets in August, Needs About 99 a Month to Hit 870

Airbus delivered 57 aircraft to 31 customers in August, taking its year-to-date total to 475 and keeping the manufacturer ahead of last year’s pace even as a seasonal summer lull and an A330 quality problem weighed on the month.

The August figure was below the 61 handed over in the same month of 2025, according to the monthly orders and deliveries report. Cumulative handovers from January to August are 9% higher than the 434 recorded a year earlier.

What was delivered

The August total comprised 10 A220-300s, one A319neo, 16 A320neos, 26 A321neos, one A330-900 and three A350-1000s. The A321neo again carried the month, with deliveries going to carriers including customers in China and the United States. Through eight months the A321neo accounts for 230 deliveries.

The A320 Family as a whole is running about 11% ahead of last year, while the widebody picture is weaker. Airbus suspended A330 deliveries in June and July after a tool was found left in the tail section of an A330, and only one A330neo, the A330-900, was handed over in August. Year-to-date A330 deliveries stand at 11 aircraft, down roughly 31% on 2025.

The arithmetic for the rest of the year

Airbus is aiming for around 870 deliveries in 2026, up from 793 last year and above its previous record of 863 set in 2019. With 475 aircraft already delivered, the company needs about 395 more across September to December, or roughly 99 per month.

That compares with monthly totals of 81 in May, 89 in June, 67 in July and 57 in August. Airbus has historically delivered a disproportionate share of its annual output in the final quarter, and December in particular, so a back-loaded profile is not unusual. It does mean the target leaves little room for further disruption, whether from engines, cabin equipment or the A330 inspection work.

Orders cool after Farnborough

Order intake fell back sharply after the July air show. Airbus booked 67 gross orders in August, split between 4 A220-300s, 40 A321neos, 8 A350F freighters and 15 A330-900s, compared with 204 in July. Year-to-date gross orders stand at 1,157 aircraft, or 1,091 after cancellations.

The eight A350F orders are notable because the freighter was only weeks from its first flight, which took place on 29 September. The A321neo remains the dominant seller, representing the bulk of August’s new business.

Why the monthly number matters

Delivery counts are watched closely by investors and lessors because airlines pay the larger part of an aircraft’s price on handover, so cash generation is tied directly to the delivery schedule. A month like August, with the lowest total of the summer, therefore pushes more weight onto the closing months.

Airbus has not changed its guidance. The remaining question is whether the single-aisle lines can sustain output near 90 or more a month while the A330 programme returns to a normal cadence after its two-month stoppage.