Aircraft orders and deliveries continue suffering pandemic's impact

Commercial Aircraft orders in 2020 continue to reflect a challenging six months for the global aviation and aerospace industry, with just nine orders in August, the lowest for the month on record.

The figure is a 59% decline on August 2019 and a 91.3% decline on two years ago. Since the start of the crisis in March, just 123 orders have been placed.

Aircraft deliveries in August similarly showed the impact of the crisis, with just 52 deliveries made, a 55.9% decline on the same month in 2018.

The total backlog orders for aircraft were at 13,518 for August 2020, representing a further 2% decline on the same time last year due to low order volumes and cancellations and a fall from a peak of more than 14,300 seen at the end of 2018. However, the remaining aircraft backlog will mean up to an estimated £206 billion worth of work to the UK and seven years’ worth of work.   



ADS Chief Executive Paul Everitt (above) said: “The aerospace industry in the UK and around the world is feeling the effect of travel restrictions and 2020 is set for the lowest number of global aircraft deliveries in more than a decade.

“Aircraft manufacturing employs more than 110,000 people in the UK. The industry is looking to the Government to act urgently to develop and reform its quarantine policy, using testing to reduce the period air travellers need to isolate after arrival in the UK.

“A full restart for aviation is the only way to ensure the future of the UK’s highly skilled and innovative aerospace sector, and will be an essential component of our national economic recovery.”