Airbus Ramps Up Aircraft Deliveries, Ships Over 70 Planes in September

Airbus delivered approximately 72 commercial aircraft in September, according to industry sources, marking a late-month acceleration that helped the European planemaker recover from earlier delivery delays and keep its ambitious 2026 target within reach.

The provisional figure, reported by Reuters, is close to the 73 aircraft Airbus delivered in September 2025 and above the estimates of analysts who had expected deliveries to come in somewhere in the mid-to-high 60s. Jefferies analysts, for example, had estimated 68 deliveries for the month. Airbus has not confirmed the September figure ahead of its monthly industrial report, which is due on October 8.

The reported September performance is significant because Airbus entered the month facing fresh pressure on its production and delivery schedule. A quality issue affecting components of its best-selling A321neo had already caused some aircraft deliveries to be pushed into the final quarter, while shortages of engines and other components have continued to complicate efforts to increase production.

The A321neo issue involves the protective coating on structural components known as stringers in the aircraft's forward fuselage. Airbus said the problem does not create a flight-safety risk, and the company has identified a repair solution. About 500 aircraft are affected, with roughly half already delivered and half still in production.

At least 20 A321neo deliveries had been delayed into the fourth quarter because of the issue, according to Reuters. That created additional pressure on Airbus as it seeks to increase deliveries toward the end of the year.

Despite those complications, Airbus Commercial Aircraft CEO Lars Wagner said this week that he was “very confident” the company could meet its full-year delivery objective of around 870 commercial aircraft. Airbus has informally described the range around that target as approximately 850 to 890 aircraft.

The September figure would take Airbus to roughly 547 commercial aircraft delivered in the first nine months of 2026, based on the company's official total of 475 deliveries through August and the provisional September figure. That leaves about 323 aircraft to be delivered in the final three months if Airbus is to reach its 870-aircraft target. Airbus had delivered 434 aircraft through August 2025, meaning its year-to-date total was already 9% higher than a year earlier before September's reported deliveries.

Reaching the annual target will therefore require a particularly strong final quarter. Airbus' production system is already operating under pressure as it attempts to raise output of its popular A320 family. The company has said it is targeting monthly production of between 70 and 75 A320-family aircraft by the end of 2027, with a longer-term rate of 75 per month. Its A320-family backlog stood at 7,577 aircraft at the end of August, including 5,691 A321neos.

The backlog reflects the extraordinary demand facing the world's major aircraft manufacturers. Airbus reported 9,222 commercial aircraft in its order backlog at the end of June, while first-half gross orders reached 886 aircraft and net orders stood at 821 after cancellations. The company delivered 351 commercial aircraft in the first six months of the year.

The challenge is consequently not a lack of customers but the ability to manufacture and hand over aircraft quickly enough. Airbus has been dealing with supply-chain constraints across engines, components and other systems while simultaneously trying to increase production rates following the disruption caused by the pandemic.

The company is also preparing for the next phase of its product portfolio. In September, Airbus completed the maiden flight of its A350F freighter, beginning a flight-test campaign expected to last more than nine months. The aircraft has already accumulated 115 orders from 14 disclosed customers, according to Airbus, giving the company a new entry into a market historically dominated by Boeing's large freighter models.

For now, however, the immediate focus remains on the delivery race. Airbus' official figures through August showed 57 aircraft handed over in August, meaning the reported September total represents a substantial month-on-month increase. The final number will not be known until the company publishes its official monthly data next week.

The September performance illustrates the central challenge facing Airbus: demand for new aircraft remains exceptionally strong, but converting that demand into completed deliveries depends on a vast industrial network of factories, suppliers, engine makers and quality-control systems. If the provisional 72-aircraft figure is confirmed, Airbus will have demonstrated that it can recover some lost ground under pressure. The bigger test will come in the final quarter, when the company must balance a huge order backlog with supply constraints and quality demands while trying to deliver hundreds more aircraft without compromising the standards on which airline customers depend.