2024 was quieter than 2023 with fewer engine orders and fewer engine installs.
The aircraft and engine backlogs hardly changed last year and aircraft delivery numbers were down. In 2023 there were record numbers of aircraft and engine orders and the number of aircraft and engines on backlog rose significantly. Also, there were more aircraft deliveries than the previous year. Delivery numbers had been rising since the low in 2020. The industry may have been hoping for a further increase in deliveries last year but there are still supply chain issues and, last year, Boeing had to contend with FAA production oversight and then a strike.
Airbus delivered 31 more aircraft last year and had revised down the projection of about 800 deliveries to 770 at mid-year. The European manufacturer’s total by the end of the year was 766 deliveries. COMAC delivered 12 more aircraft than in 2023 but this was starting from a low base; there were only two C919 deliveries in 2023. Boeing was very quiet about how many aircraft might be delivered in 2024. Production of the company’s commercial jets had slowed in the early part of the year and the strike brought final delivery numbers down to 348 which was 180 fewer than in 2023.
The fact that there were far fewer orders for both aircraft and engines than in 2023 does not point to falling demand. Demand for air travel has been increasing. Fewer orders probably has more to do with the large airline and leasing companies being mostly fully ordered. In any event, there were orders for 1,447 large commercial jet aircraft last year and orders for over 2,200 engines. These are still very substantial numbers.
2025 will certainly be a better year in terms of deliveries but it might take another year or two before production gets back to the sort of record levels seen in 2018.
Some 2024 facts and figures:
There were 75 more aircraft on backlog at the end of December than at the start of the year, made up of 106 fewer single-aisles but 181 more widebodies.
There were 82 more engines on firm order at the end of the year than at the start of the year, made up of 306 fewer single-aisle engines but 388 more widebody engines.
The total large commercial jet aircraft backlog stood at 15,933 at the end of October last year which is the backlog record. There was a drop by the end of the year but the total at the end of December was the largest year-end backlog, ever.
The number of engines on firm order reached 30,058 at the end of September last year, a record high for the industry. The previous record was 30,044, set at the end of March last year.
The passenger widebody backlog increased by 158 aircraft last year, to 2,233. There are now 668 more on backlog than at the start of 2023, a gain of 42.7%.
The number of widebody engines on order at the end of the year was 4,616, not a record but 388 engines larger than at the start of the year, a gain of 9.1%, and 1,288 more than at the start of 2023 which is a gain of 38.7%. The current order book figure is the largest since June 2017.
There were orders for 1,071 single-aisle aircraft and 376 widebody aircraft in 2024. In 2023 there were orders for 3,039 single-aisles and 811 widebodies. The widebody aircraft order intake in 2023 is the annual record and the total number of 2023 aircraft orders is also the annual record.
There were orders for 1,448 single-aisle engines and 756 widebody engines in 2024. In 2023 there were orders for 5,170 single-aisle engines and 1,514 widebody engines. The total engine order intake in 2023 is the annual record.
In the last two years (i.e. since the start of 2023) there have been orders for 5,297 large commercial jet aircraft and 8,888 large civil jet engines. Of these, there were orders for 4,170 single-aisle aircraft and orders for 6,618 single-aisle engines.
There were 956 single-aisle and 172 widebody aircraft deliveries in 2024. This was made up of 81 fewer single-aisle deliveries than in 2023 and 56 fewer widebody aircraft deliveries.
Airbus delivered 766 aircraft last year, 31 more than in 2023. COMAC delivered 14 aircraft, 12 more than in 2023. Boeing delivered 348 aircraft which was 180 fewer than in 2023.