London: Airbus shares experienced a decline of over 5% as the company announced its expectation to deliver approximately 870 commercial aircraft in 2026, which fell slightly below analysts’ predictions. This announcement comes amidst increasing pressure on Airbus as its US competitor, Boeing, begins to show signs of recovery following years of crises that had previously benefited Airbus.

According to Anadolu Agency, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury noted that the global demand for commercial aircraft supports the company’s ongoing production increase, although they are currently managing significant shortages of Pratt and Whitney engines. Last year, Airbus delivered 793 commercial aircraft, surpassing its revised target of 790 after supplier quality issues affected A320 family deliveries.

In recent years, Airbus has gained an edge as Boeing struggled with prolonged issues related to design and production flaws in the 737 Max jet. Aircraft delivery numbers are crucial for investors since the majority of payments to planemakers are made upon delivery. In 2025, Airbus delivered 193 more aircraft than Boeing, although Boeing managed to secure more orders for the first time since 2018.

Airbus reported fourth-quarter adjusted earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of £2.98 billion ($3.51 billion), surpassing the consensus estimate of £2.87 billion, while revenue slightly missed expectations at £25.98 billion compared to the projected £26.5 billion. Looking forward, Airbus forecasts an adjusted EBIT of approximately £7.5 billion and free cash flow before customer financing of around £4.5 billion in 2026, along with its target of about 870 aircraft deliveries.