Airbus posted strong first-half earnings as aircraft deliveries bounced back

Airbus reported first-half revenue of €33.2 billion on Wednesday, up 12% from a year earlier, as a rebound in commercial aircraft deliveries lifted earnings across the group. Second-quarter adjusted EBIT — the metric Airbus treats as its primary gauge of profitability — came in at €2.

43 billion, a 54% increase from a year earlier. Analysts had expected adjusted EBIT of €2.19 billion, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Net profit for the quarter more than doubled to €1.66 billion, from €732 million in the same period a year earlier. Revenue for the second quarter reached €20.

53 billion, a 28% year-on-year gain, surpassing the analyst consensus estimate of €20.25 billion. For the first half as a whole, net income reached €2.

24 billion, up from €1.53 billion in H1 2025. Adjusted EBIT for the period came in at €2.

73 billion, compared with €2.20 billion a year earlier. Airbus delivered 351 commercial aircraft in the first six months of the year, up from 306 in the same period of 2025, comprising 44 A220s, 271 A320 Family jets, 10 A330s, and 26 A350s.

The company's defence and space segment posted an 84% increase in adjusted EBIT to €487 million, supported by improved profitability and higher volumes. The company left its full-year guidance unchanged. Airbus still targets around 870 commercial aircraft deliveries, adjusted EBIT of around €7.

5 billion, and free cash flow before customer financing of around €4.5 billion in 2026, assuming no additional disruptions to global trade, air traffic, or the supply chain, and including the impact of currently applicable tariffs. "Our good H1 results mainly reflect the higher level of commercial aircraft deliveries and strong performance in Defence and Space, against the backdrop of a complex and fast-changing environment," Chief Executive Guillaume Faury said in a statement.

"Our focus on steady execution is paying off, as demonstrated by strong deliveries in Q2." The strong second-quarter handovers mark a turnaround from a difficult start to the year. Airbus reported in late April that first-quarter adjusted operating profit fell 52% to €300 million as commercial aircraft deliveries declined and Boeing $BA overtook it on quarterly handovers.

Supply constraints from engine maker Pratt & Whitney weighed on the delivery outlook at that time, with Airbus initiating a process to enforce its contractual rights against the RTX-owned company. On the order front, Airbus logged 886 gross commercial aircraft orders in the first half, up from 494 a year earlier, bringing its backlog to 9,222 commercial aircraft at the end of June. Free cash flow before customer financing came in at negative €1.

17 billion for the first half, an improvement from negative €1.61 billion in H1 2025, with the outflow driven by planned inventory build-up to support production ramp-up. Join 500,000+ readers who start their day with Quartz.

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