Airbus, gross
commercial aircraft orders totalled 771 (2020: 383 aircraft) with net orders of
507 aircraft after cancellations (2020: 268 aircraft). Included were the first
A350 freighter orders, confirming customer demand for this new programme. The
order backlog was 7,082 commercial aircraft on 31 December 2021 (end 2020:
7,184 aircraft). Airbus Helicopters booked 414 net orders (2020: 268 units),
achieving a book-to-bill ratio well above one both in terms of units and in
value. These included 52 H160s of which 30 were the first batch of H160M
military versions for France’s Joint Light Helicopter programme. Airbus Defence
and Space’s order intake by value increased to € 13.7 billion (2020: € 11.9
billion), representing a book-to-bill ratio of around 1.3. Included were key
orders in the Military Aircraft business such as the in-service support of the
German and Spanish Eurofighter fleets as well as good export momentum for the
C295, A330 MRTT and A400M airlifter.
Consolidated order
intake by value increased to € 62.0 billion (2020: € 33.3 billion) with the
consolidated order book valued at € 398 billion on 31 December 2021 (year-end
2020: € 373 billion). The increase in the backlog value mainly reflected the
strengthening US dollar.
Consolidated revenues
increased 4 per cent to € 52.1 billion (2020: € 49.9 billion), mainly
reflecting the higher number of commercial aircraft deliveries, partially
offset by less favourable foreign exchange rates. A total of 611 commercial
aircraft were delivered (2020: 566 aircraft), comprising 50 A220s, 483 A320
Family, 18 A330s(1), 55 A350s and 5 A380s. Revenues generated by Airbus’
commercial aircraft activities increased 6 per cent, largely reflecting the
higher deliveries compared to 2020. Airbus Helicopters delivered 338 units
(2020: 300 units), including the first H160, with revenues rising 4 per cent
reflecting growth in services and the higher deliveries. Revenues at Airbus
Defence and Space decreased by 2 per cent, mainly driven by Military Aircraft,
partially offset by Space Systems. Eight A400M aircraft were delivered in 2021.
Consolidated EBIT
Adjusted – an alternative performance measure and key indicator capturing the
underlying business margin by excluding material charges or profits caused by
movements in provisions related to programmes, restructuring or foreign
exchange impacts as well as capital gains/losses from the disposal and
acquisition of businesses – was € 4,865 million (2020: € 1,706 million).
The EBIT Adjusted
related to Airbus’ commercial aircraft activities increased to € 3,570 million
(2020: € 618 million), mainly driven by the delivery performance and efforts on
cost containment and competitiveness.
Airbus Chief Executive
Officer Guillaume Faury commented, “2021 was a year of transition, where our
attention shifted from navigating the pandemic towards recovery and growth.
Thanks to the resilience and efforts of our teams, customers and suppliers, we
delivered remarkable full-year results” and added, “The strong financials
reflect the higher number of commercial aircraft deliveries, the good
performance of our Helicopters and Defence and Space businesses as well as our
efforts on cost containment and competitiveness. Record net income and our
efforts to strengthen the net cash position underpin our proposal to
reintroduce dividend payments going forward. At the same time, we continue to
invest in our strategic priorities and in the transformation of our company.”
The Board of Directors
will propose the payment of a 2021 dividend of € 1.50 per share to the 2022
Annual General Meeting. The payment date is 21 April 2022.