Aircraft manufacturers - key figures 2021

The table shows key figures for the four leading aircraft manufacturers in the fiscal year of 2021. Boeing employed some 35,930 people in the commercial aircraft segment. The Illinois-based jet maker is ranked among the leading aircraft manufacturers worldwide.

Global market for aircraft manufacturing

Only a century ago, aircraft manufacturing was at its infancy, which grew alongside the global economy that demanded better transportation facilities. The development of technological knowledge paved the way for sophisticated aircraft designs to meet the needs and preferences of people or organizations. Over time, this industry evolved into becoming one of the largest markets globally. Until 2019, the size of the global commercial aircraft manufacturing industry expanded continuously. Yet, the aviation industry is perhaps the worst hit by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This market is expected to shrink by about 100 billion U.S. dollars during 2020. In the fiscal year of 2020, Airbus was the largest aircraft manufacturer in terms of revenue and number of aircraft deliveries. Boeing was the second leading manufacturer of aircraft in that year, followed by Canadian Bombardier Aerospace and Brazilian Embraer.

Airbus Group : a short recap

Founded in 1970 in France, Airbus Group became a European multinational corporation in the aerospace industry. Through expansive business strategy and high investment into corporate strategy, the company developed a resilient business with high-growth potential. Despite all economic downturns between 2007 and 2019, Airbus Group managed to grow at a rapid rate by improving its business operations and generated more and more revenue each year. For instance, during that period, the Airbus Group increased its revenue streams by roughly 80 percent, reaching over 70 billion euros in 2019. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the aircraft manufacturer reported only 49.9 billion euros in 2020. As of March 2021, over 12,000 Airbus aircraft were in operation worldwide. Single aisle, A330, and A350 are the most deployed Airbus aircraft in use. Over the last decade, the Airbus Group invested an amount fluctuating around 3.5 billion euros in research and development (R&D) each year, with a slight decrease to 2.86 billion euros in 2020.