General Atomics

ADS sees signs of a stabilising aircraft market

Commercial aircraft orders grew by almost two thirds in February 2025 compared to February 2024 according to ADS, with 27 narrowbody aircraft ordered in February 2025, even though no wide body aircraft orders were placed.


 
Image by Ricardo / copyright Shutterstock

The latest commercial aircraft data from the UK’s aerospace, defence, security and space trade association further highlights a sustained growth in aircraft deliveries, with 86 delivered in February 2025. The ADS dataset highlights 13% year-on-year growth in aircraft deliveries and the highest for the month since 2019.

ADS data reflects a stabilising market and a steadying backlog of 15,767 aircraft orders. While this still accounts for £255 billion and around 14 years’ worth of work, this marks a slow departure from the record backlog figures seen in recent years.

Aimie Stone, Chief Economist at ADS commented on the figures: “February 2025 data is promising. Both orders and deliveries are showing steady albeit gradual improvement, indicating that market pressures – including workforce issues and regulatory hurdles – are gradually easing, as the deliveries of aircraft come through.

While the stabilising backlog will reassure investors, the absence of widebody orders this month could be a concern for UK manufacturers, given their exposure to the widebody market. This trend, if it continues, will need to be closely watched alongside growing demand for single-aisle aircraft.”

Related

Sustainable aviation fuel pioneer completes successful trials
Nova Pangaea factory
Sustainable aviation fuel pioneer completes successful trials
In trials at its plant in Teesside, Nova Pangaea Technologies has shown that its processing of waste biomass and residues into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) can be done at a commercial scale.
Aerospace Member News

26 Aug 2026

Nothing now stands in the legal way of Gatwick’s £2.2bn second runway
Emirates A380 at LGW
Nothing now stands in the legal way of Gatwick’s £2.2bn second runway
London Gatwick says it can shift its Northern Runway project from planning into detailed design and delivery after the conclusion of an eight-year legal and planning process.
Aerospace

26 Aug 2026

Which UK airports will actually need more capacity by 2050?
Heathrow third runway
Which UK airports will actually need more capacity by 2050?
UK air travel could grow 68% by 2050, but the capacity crunch will not be evenly spread. New DfT data reveals which airports will fill terminals and runways.
Aerospace

26 Aug 2026

Navantia UK expands workforce with new apprentice hires
Navantia UK Methils 2026 Apprentice Intake
Navantia UK expands workforce with new apprentice hires
As part of a company-wide intake of 121 apprentices this year, Navantia UK has hired 21 new apprentices at its Methil facility, helping develop a pipeline of talent into shipbuilding in Scotland.
Defence

26 Aug 2026

British naval gun maker wins NATO order while Royal Navy buys elsewhere
30mm MSI-DS Naval Gun
British naval gun maker wins NATO order while Royal Navy buys elsewhere
MSI Defence Systems has secured a €19.4m contract from an unnamed NATO country for three 30mm naval gun systems configured for counter-UAS missions.
Defence

26 Aug 2026

National Wealth Fund invests £71m in Tungsten West to unlock critical UK tungsten supply
Hemerdon Mine.
National Wealth Fund invests £71m in Tungsten West to unlock critical UK tungsten supply
A £71 million National Wealth Fund investment will help restart the Hemerdon mine in Devon, securing a UK source of tungsten for defence, aerospace and energy applications.
Aerospace Defence

26 Aug 2026

STFC reveals latest Ernest Rutherford Fellows
space nebula
STFC reveals latest Ernest Rutherford Fellows
Backed by an investment of £6 million, seven early-career physicists have been awarded Ernest Rutherford Fellowship’s by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), supporting research, from the search for dark matter to the physics of black holes.
Space

25 Aug 2026

Austrian ENPULSION moves to acquire UK space propulsion specialist Lift Me Off
Enpulsion space propulsion manufacturer buys UK company lift me off
Austrian ENPULSION moves to acquire UK space propulsion specialist Lift Me Off
Austrian spacecraft propulsion manufacturer ENPULSION has agreed to acquire British specialist Lift Me Off, bringing together electric and chemical propulsion capabilities in a deal that will require UK Government approval.
Member News Space

21 Aug 2026

Lanarkshire AI Growth Zone gains £300m investment as Dell establishes Scottish base
Lanarkshire’s AI Innovation Park
Lanarkshire AI Growth Zone gains £300m investment as Dell establishes Scottish base
A £202 million guarantee from the UK National Wealth Fund has attracted an investment of £300 million in Lanarkshire's AI Growth Zone, which with Dell Technologies establishing a base there too, is set to support over 3,400 skilled jobs.
The 2028 quantum deadline aerospace and defence suppliers can’t afford to ignore
A Typhoon FGR4 (serial ZK364) from the RAF's No 3(F) Squadron taxis to the runway at the 86th Air Base in Borcea, Romania, before launching for a 'Tango' QRA training scramble on 7 April 2026. Image: MOD Crown Copyright/AS1 Ben Webb
The 2028 quantum deadline aerospace and defence suppliers can’t afford to ignore
Despite the deadline being years away, companies in the aerospace and defence sectors are being encouraged to start their planning now to ensure compliance later
Aerospace Defence Security

26 Aug 2026

Serco to support prison infrastructure at Christchurch Men’s Prison
Rachel Leota, New Zealand​ Department of Corrections Chief Executive and Ben Tracey, Serco Asia Pacific Director Facilities Management and Public Private Partnerships
Serco to support prison infrastructure at Christchurch Men’s Prison
As the New Zealand Government looks to add much needed capacity to its prison system, it has selected Serco to provide facilities management and maintenance services to support a safe and resilient prison infrastructure at Christchurch Men’s Prison.
Member News Security

25 Aug 2026

UK defence jobs jump by 26,000 as MoD spending supports 274,000 workers
UK defence jobs jump by 26,000 as MoD spending supports 274,000 workers
Ministry of Defence spending with UK industry now supports one in every 100 jobs, according to new figures.
Defence Security

21 Aug 2026