(Paris) Airbus’ net profit jumped 21% in the third quarter to 806 million euros, reflecting the “increase in commercial aircraft deliveries”, the European aircraft manufacturer announced on Wednesday.

The group, engaged in a complex ramp-up of its production, delivered 172 devices between July and September, i.e. 22% more than the previous year at the same period, and maintains its objective of delivering 720 devices to its customers on the whole year as well as its financial forecasts.

“Our profit over the first nine months reflects the increase in commercial aircraft deliveries, the good performance of helicopter activities as well as the charges linked to the reassessment of certain satellite development programs,” explains Airbus executive chairman Guillaume Faury. , quoted in the press release.

Since the start of the year, the aeronautics group has had to book 400 million euros in charges for estimated delays and additional costs on satellite programs that it has not specified.

The Commercial Aircraft branch, which will regain a legal existence within the group as it had before 2019, is profitable, as is the Helicopters branch. The Defense and Space activities have remained slightly loss-making since the start of the year and Airbus indicates that it has “undertaken to transform” this division.

The group’s turnover increased by 12% in the third quarter, to €14.9 billion.

Faced with the demand from airlines which are increasing orders to cope with the expected growth in their traffic and modernizing their fleets with aircraft that consume less fuel and therefore emit less CO2, the aircraft manufacturer is seeking to increase its production despite production bottlenecks. strangulation among some of its suppliers.

“The global environment (is) increasingly complex,” according to Guillaume Faury, for whom “tensions should persist in the supply chain as production ramps up.”

Airbus intends to increase A320 production from 40 aircraft per month during the pandemic to 75 units per month by 2026.

With the return of long-haul demand, depressed even before the health crisis, “the company has decided to increase the production rate” of the A350 “. It plans to manufacture 10 of these large aircraft per month in 2026, compared to 9 according to a previous forecast. Airbus currently produces 6 per month.

The aircraft manufacturer maintains its ramp-up targets for the A330 (4 monthly in 2024) and the A220 (14 monthly in 2026)

As of September 30, 2023, the order book stood at 7,992 aircraft, including 6,754 A320 Family aircraft and 489 A350 aircraft.