Airbus delivered 73 new aircraft to 41 customers in September 2025, making it the best month for deliveries so far this year. This was also the manufacturer’s best September on record, far outpacing the 50 aircraft it delivered in the same month last year. Monthly deliveries also increased by 12 frames over its delivery figures from August.
Airbus needs this boost after a slow first half of the year, which has put it at risk of missing its 2025 goal. The primary reason is that it has been plagued by supply chain issues, with persistent engine delays from both Pratt & Whitney and CFM. Just a month ago, the manufacturer reportedly had more than 60 narrowbody aircraft that are fully built and just awaiting their engines.
Can Airbus Achieve Its 2025 Target?
Airbus has now handed over 507 aircraft to its customers so far this year, which means that it still needs to deliver 313 aircraft to meet its target of 820 aircraft deliveries in 2025. That’s no small task, as it will require the manufacturer to deliver more than 100 frames per month on average in the final quarter, which is far in excess of the pace it has set year-to-date. But it’s not impossible, as Airbus showed last year when it delivered 123 aircraft in December.
Airbus fell behind early in the year, only averaging 45 deliveries per month in Q1 and 56 in Q2. The main reason was due to delays with its engine suppliers. Reuters recently reported that Airbus has more than 60 aircraft that are fully built but still awaiting their engines from Pratt & Whitney or CFM to be delivered and fitted. Often referred to as “gliders”, these nearly-done aircraft account for a large portion of the manufacturer’s delivery shortfall to date.
Despite the challenges , Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury recently told CNBC that they are still “on track” to reach the company’s goal of delivering 820 units in 2025:
“All our attention will be on engine deliveries from both CFM and Pratt & Whitney, but they’re telling us that they will be able to deliver what we need. So we remain positive for the back end of the year.”
The Aircraft Delivered In September
Unsurprisingly, the bulk of Airbus’ September deliveries were from the A320 family, which included 18 A320neos and 40 of the stretched A321neos. A rare sight in the schedule was the delivery of an A319neo. Unlike the popular A319ceo, which achieved nearly 1,500 orders in its 25-year production run, the A319neo has garnered much less attention from airlines and has amassed only 57 orders to date. The unit delivered in September was for 
Air China, the second A319ceo in its order for 10 of the type.
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Airbus’ Deliveries In September 2025 |
|
|
A220 |
9 |
|
A319neo |
1 |
|
A320neo |
18 |
|
A321neo |
40 |
|
A330neo |
4 |
|
A350 |
1 |
|
Total |
73 |
In total, Airbus has delivered 507 aircraft to 79 different customers in 2025. But some customers stand out for the sheer number of deliveries they have taken so far this year, with three of them having already received more than 30 aircraft:
- China Southern: The Chinese carrier has received 34 aircraft from Airbus in the first three quarters of the year, made up of two A319neos, 11 A320neos, and 21 A321neos.
- Delta Air Lines: The Atlanta-based airline has taken 31 aircraft across four different variants — six A220s, 15 A321neos, seven A330-900s, and three A350-900s.
- IndiGo: The Indian carrier has more than 1,200 outstanding orders for A320 family aircraft, about 17% of the total backlog. It has taken delivery of 31 A321s so far this year.
Some other positive news for Airbus were the 9 A220 deliveries. The manufacturer has set itself a longer-term goal of producing 14 A220s a month between its two final assembly lines in Canada and the US. But it has been falling short of that all year, with an average monthly delivery rate of just 6.5 aircraft, so the uptick is promising. Airbus also recently had cause to celebrate as the 100th A220 produced in the US rolled off the line in Mobile, Alabama, and was delivered to Breeze Airways.
Other Highlights From The September Deliveries
Probably the biggest highlight for Airbus was that September was the month when the A320 family finally surpassed the Boeing 737 to become the world’s most delivered commercial jetliner. But it was also a cause for celebration for many of its customers as well. For Air Côte d’Ivoire, it was taking delivery of its first A330-900, marking the introduction of the first-ever widebody aircraft into the airline’s fleet. This has allowed it to launch non-stop flights from Abidjan to Paris for the first time.
Air Niugini, the national carrier of Papua New Guinea, took delivery of its first-ever Airbus aircraft, an A220-300. It has a total order for 11 A220s, which will replace the airline’s aging Fokker 70 and Fokker 100 jets that it acquired from KLM over a decade ago. The A220 delivery was timed to coincide with celebrations for Papua New Guinea’s 50th Independence anniversary, and features a special livery with 11 colors.
Croatia Airlines already has six A220-300s in its fleet, but in September it received its first Airbus A220-100. This delivery was notable because the aircraft was configured with 127 seats, making it the highest-capacity A220-100 in service worldwide. The jet, named “Dubrovnik,” is part of the airline’s major fleet renewal program, which aims to transition to an all-Airbus A220 fleet by 2027.
