Airbus reaffirmed its 2026 guidance on July 29, 2026 — 870 commercial aircraft deliveries, €7.5 billion in EBIT, and roughly €4.5 billion of free cash flow — after a record delivery pace in the first half, per the company's half-year results coverage. The confirmation, issued alongside the release of half-year financials, keeps the manufacturer on course for its highest annual output since 2019.
Where does Airbus stand against its 870 target?
The first half set the pace. Per the monthly orders-and-deliveries compilations, Airbus reached 418 deliveries through July against the 870 target — roughly 48 percent of the goal by the end of seven months, with 67 jets handed over in July alone. The company's order book also crossed a milestone: with 204 gross orders logged in July, Airbus's 2026 order intake passed 1,000 aircraft, per Forecast International's compilation.
The cadence matters because Airbus's delivery curve is historically back-loaded — certificates and cabin-ready aircraft cluster in the fourth quarter, a pattern that has made the company's year-end totals repeatedly overshoot conservative-looking mid-year positions. Standing at roughly half the target with five months to run is a comfortable position by Airbus's own recent standards.
Related stories: Boeing Out-Delivered Airbus in Q1 2026 for the First Time Since the MAX Crisis · Boeing Delivered 600 Commercial Jets in 2025, Led by 447 737s.
What does it mean for the Boeing contest?
The rivalry flipped this year. Boeing beat Airbus on first-quarter deliveries, 143 to 114 — its first quarterly win since the MAX crisis — before Airbus regained the cumulative lead through the summer, with the July tally putting the European manufacturer ahead on both deliveries and orders for the year to date, per the same compilations. For the full year, Airbus remains the favorite on output volume; the open question is the margin.
Why travelers should care about manufacturer output
Delivery targets become airline capacity plans. Each additional A320neo-family jet lets a carrier add frequencies without new gates or crews on a one-to-one basis, and A350 deliveries support long-haul expansion — including the summer 2026 route wave that added more than 1,300 new city pairs worldwide, per OAG schedule data. When manufacturers hit targets, airlines get the aircraft they planned summer 2027 schedules around; when they miss, fleet plans slip and fares on affected routes firm up.
The next checkpoints are August's monthly delivery release and the third-quarter financials in late October, which will show whether the supply chain — engines and seats most visibly — supports the fourth-quarter surge the 870 target assumes.