The number of global aircraft deliveries rose 32 percent to 951 last year while operators and lessors placed orders for 1,680 new aircraft, the most since 2018, UK aerospace trade group ADS reported Monday. While the figures show the continuation of a gradual recovery from Covid-19, last year’s deliveries remained some 40 percent down from the record 1,618 shipments achieved in 2018.

ADS said the recovery centers mainly on single-aisle aircraft and that weak demand for long-haul travel continues to suppress widebody performance. Deliveries of single-aisle aircraft increased for the first time in two years, by 51 percent. However, widebody demand decreased 20 percent, marking the lowest annual figure since ADS records began in 2010.

Despite the start of a slow recovery in global deliveries, UK aerospace manufacturing output remains 36.1 percent below pre-pandemic levels, reflecting the long road to recovery the sector and its supply chains still face. 

Although aircraft orders increased significantly compared with 2019 and 2020, order cancellations of 689 airplanes last year reduced the global backlog to 12,989.

The final months of 2021 saw a strong recovery in orders, including at November’s Dubai Airshow, where Airbus and Boeing announced contracts covering more than 500 airplanes.

“It is encouraging to see signs of recovery," said ADS chief executive Kevin Craven. "However, there is still a very long road ahead to return to pre-pandemic levels of output. Manufacturers are now preparing for production-rate increases, posing potential challenges for employers throughout our supply chains who have faced major difficulties in the last two years.  

“This year will be an exciting one for UK aerospace and aviation," he continued. "We are looking forward to continued progress in developing revolutionary green aerospace technology that will deliver net-zero air travel, and to the return of Farnborough International Airshow. We hope to see a strengthening recovery in UK aerospace manufacturing that will enable us to build our international standing as a leader in this high-value global industry.”