AEROSPACE FOCUS
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Seeds of optimism for
a recovery in 2021
deliveries to 87 customers in 2020, but 34 per cent
fewer than in 2019 and received 383 new aircraft
orders. The French aircraft maker performed better than
Boeing, who delivered 157 aircraft over the entire year,
making it the company’s worst year on record since
1977 and it also saw 640 aircraft orders cancelled in
2020, due to the problems from the pandemic and the
737 MAX.
On a positive note and although it is not pre-pandemic
levels, Airbus reported last month it was increasing the
production rate planning for its A320 Family aircraft in
response to the market environment. The manufacturer
will up the production rate from the current 40 per month
to 43 in Q3 and 45 in Q4 this year. The A220 monthly
production rate will increase from four to ve aircraft per
month from the end of Q1 2021 as previously foreseen.
Airbus says it expects the commercial aircraft market
to return to pre-Covid levels by 2023 to 2025, something
also forecasted by the International Air Transport
Association (IATA).
Assuming that the Covid-19 vaccines are rolled out
globally by mid to late 2021 – as seems likely – global
commercial air travel will though return to some level of
pre-pandemic normalcy, but when and how that recovery
occurs can only be speculated about at this stage. It will
certainly be welcomed by all parts of the aerospace
supply chain and boost all sectors.
In the UK, ADS, Airlines UK and the Airport Operators
Association (AOA) have joined forces in calling for a
recovery plan in response to the problems caused by the
Covid-19 crisis with new travel bans now in place after
all air corridors were suspended in January.
This year will be challenging for the aerospace
industry, but there is optimism that there will be
a rebound, although pre-pandemic levels are still
likely not to return until around 2024
Pictured below:
A Rolls-Royce
jet engine being
worked on (Picture
credit: Rolls-
Royce)
2020 was an incredibly tumultuous year for the
aerospace industry, as it was one of the industries
most impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic with air
travel coming to halt and the crisis has had signi cant
impact on the entire aerospace supply chain.
ADS ( www.is.gd/a7ZW0p ) – the UK trade organisation
representing the aerospace, defence, security and space
sectors – forecasts there has already been around
15,000 job losses in UK aerospace manufacturing that
are linked to the impact of the pandemic on industry,
while 30,000 job losses have also been announced by
UK airlines.
The pandemic has been devastating to the global
commercial air travel market as passenger numbers
have fallen signi cantly, at rst as much as 90 per cent
in March last year before recovering a bit, grounding
thousands of aircraft and plunging demand for
parts and components, with the entire crisis
having a profound impact on every part
of the chain.
In response, the world’s biggest
aircraft manufacturers Airbus
( www.is.gd/Xvnnih
) and Boeing
(
https://is.gd/hc2lFo ), both
immediately reduced production
rates last year on their different
aircraft models, as demand fell
to levels not seen for years.
As such, both
manufacturers’ gures re ect
this, although Airbus reports it
made 566 commercial aircraft
38 February 2021 | www.machinery.co.uk | MachineryMagazine | @MachineryTweets
/a7ZW0p
/Xvnnih
/hc2lFo
/www.machinery.co.uk