April order uplift as aerospace recovery continues
- The highest April for new orders since 2018 signals a continued recovery for the sector, particularly in the single-aisle market.
- 144 global aircraft orders were placed, and 83 aircraft were delivered which is in line with 2022 ADS forecast.
- The single-aisle market continues to recover at a faster rate than the wide-body market which the UK has a higher exposure to.
- The backlog of aircraft remains above 13,000 for the fifth consecutive month since December 2021.
Global aircraft orders for April have seen a continuation of the strong order books seen at the start of the year and a continuation of recovery in market demand and confidence. 138 single-aisle and six wide-body aircraft were ordered, the highest April for new orders since pre-pandemic 2018.
Aircraft manufacturers delivered a total of 83 aircraft, 70 single-aisle and 13 wide-body, an improvement of 34 per cent on April 2021. Compared to orders, deliveries are below pre-pandemic trends but in line with the ADS forecast of 2022 global deliveries reaching 997 aircraft.
UK aerospace manufacturing output remains significantly weaker than February 2020, with output 40.5 per cent smaller. The contribution to UK industrial value from the wide-body market segment is higher than for single-aisle aircraft. However, the April data alongside aircraft manufacturer production rate ramp ups remains a positive sign of recovery and is expected to feed through into overall manufacturing data later this year.
Latest flight data continues to show encouraging signs of recovery with UK flight arrivals and departures remaining stable following the upward trends attributed to flights during the Spring break and now recovering to under a 20 per cent reduction from comparable data in 2019.
The backlog of aircraft remains above 13,000 for the fifth consecutive month and continues to rise with demand and market confidence and represents several years’ worth of work worth around £190 billion to the UK aerospace industry.
ADS Chief Executive, Kevin Craven, said:
“The continuation of an order uplift is a very welcome sign of the continuation of recovery seen in recent months and I look forward to seeing it feed through into aerospace manufacturing output data.
“To ensure the recovery feeds through into aerospace manufacturing, ADS will continue its work with Government, industry and members through ongoing supply chain and labour issues to support planned production rate ramp ups.
“With the return of Farnborough Airshow in July, we will see a major opportunity for the UK to showcase its world-leading green aerospace technology to manufacturers as they look to invest and develop greener and cleaner aircraft.”