Airbus profits rise, Boeing remains in loss

International - European aviation giant Airbus has received good financial news, with net profit for the third quarter increasing again, forming a sharp contrast with its main US competitor Boeing, which is still in a loss-making state. Boeing's quarterly loss was 5.3 billion euros.

Airbus' net profit for the third quarter increased by 14% to 1.1 billion euros, mainly due to strong performance in its defense and helicopter business. Revenue for the third quarter also rose by 14% to 17.8 billion euros. For the first nine months of this year, the company's revenue reached 47.4 billion euros, an increase of 7%; revenue from the defense business alone grew by 19% to 9.2 billion euros.

Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said in a statement: "Our performance for the first nine months reflects the delivery levels of commercial aircraft, as well as the solid performance of the defense, space, and helicopter businesses." These results contrast sharply with Boeing's performance released just hours earlier: despite a strong rebound in deliveries, the American manufacturer suffered a quarterly loss of 5.3 billion euros due to significant costs from its 777X twin-engine aircraft project, which has been significantly delayed from the plan.

Airbus maintained its 2025 forecast, particularly regarding the goal of delivering 820 aircraft by the end of the year. As of the end of September, the manufacturer had delivered only 507 aircraft to customers, and more than 100 more need to be delivered in the coming months. The company reiterated that deliveries remain concentrated at the end of the year.

– A220 production decline –

The only downside is that Airbus has revised down its plan to increase the monthly production of the A220 to 12 units per month by 2026, lower than the previously planned 14 units. The A220 is mainly assembled in Canada and also in Mobile, Alabama, USA, and it is a small, efficient, and economical single-aisle aircraft, a powerful complement to the A320 series for the medium-haul market. LOT Polish Airlines, a long-term customer of Boeing and Embraer, signed its first contract with Airbus this summer: a firm order for 40 A220s, with a commitment to purchase up to 84 in the future.

On the other hand, regarding its flagship model A320, Airbus stated in October that it is confident in achieving an unprecedented monthly production of 75 units in 2027, at which time it will have 10 A320 assembly lines around the world.

– Trump strongly supports Boeing –

Despite ongoing challenges, Boeing has made progress in the commercial sector, and it is expected to surpass Airbus in orders by 2025, mainly due to Donald Trump's proactive policies. As of September 30, 2025, the American giant had a net order of 774 units, while Airbus had 514 units. A year ago, Boeing had 272 orders, while its European competitor had 648.

Florian Ackning, an expert at Roland Berger consulting, commented to AFP: "Boeing's commercial development has indeed accelerated this year."

He pointed out that the "Trump effect" is that when airlines have close relationships with the government, he tries to force them to buy Boeing planes instead of Airbus planes. At the same time, he emphasized that this is only a "short-term" phenomenon. For example, in September this year, Boeing received an order for 50 787 aircraft from Turkish Airlines and 14 from Uzbekistan Airlines.

Florian Ackning said, "Overall, Boeing's sales performance this year has been very strong, especially in the long-haul market. But this does not mean that Airbus no longer holds a dominant position in the medium-haul market." Airbus achieved a symbolic victory: its single-aisle plane A320, introduced in 1988, replaced Boeing's first 737 delivered in 1968 as the best-selling aircraft in the world. This data comes from a joint report released by both companies in October.

Florian Ackning pointed out that this success is attributed to the difficulties faced by the 737 MAX - after several air crashes, the model was grounded, prompting some airlines to choose the A320 instead - as well as the success of the A320neo series, especially the A321XLR, which can compete with some long-haul aircraft and open new routes.

Sources: rfi

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1847391426049036/

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