It's simple logic that a business with no orders is in dire straits, but can a business have too many orders to deliver everything on its plate successfully? At the end of June, Airbus reported that it has a backlog of 7,967 aircraft to deliver at some time in the future, not counting all the orders it will receive since that date and onwards.

Can you have too many orders?

Now, before the comments box is filled with messages, those nearly 8,000 aircraft will be delivered over many years, and a significant number may not ever be delivered. However, if you are only making around 80 aircraft a month, you have near enough to one hundred months, or eight years, of work ahead for the production line.

Photo: Airbus

Could it be that having slots in the line becomes a traded commodity in their own right, with high value attached to those purchasing rights? And does it highlight the opportunity that Chinese OEM COMAC is looking for? Food for thought, but now it's back to the future and Airbus' position at the end of last month.

Airbus delivered 72 aircraft to 48 customers in June, bringing the total deliveries for the first half of the year to 316 aircraft. Those deliveries included 25 A220s, three A319neos, 106 A320neos, 147 A321neos, 14 A330neos and 21 A350s. Single aisle aircraft accounted for 89% of deliveries, averaging 47 jets monthly.

It booked orders for 902 aircraft, including the massive orders from Air India (244) and IndiGo (500) previously reported. For the first half of 2023, Airbus has collected Gross Orders for 1080 planes, and after removing 21 cancellations, it reported net orders of 1044.

Image: Airbus

Looking at the first-half orders, that old saying of eggs and baskets comes to mind, with the two Indian carriers, Air India and IndiGo, accounting for more than 70% of the order book. Of the rest, 129 aircraft have been ordered by Undisclosed Customers, 73 by Qatar Airways, and 30 by Flynas. Six airlines and airline groups have ordered more than ten aircraft this year, including Azerbaijan Airlines, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, IAG, Lufthansa, and Uzbekistan Airways.

Production rates will need to lift significantly

The backlog of 7,967 comprises 7,275 single-aisle, 208 A330, and 484 A350 orders. Unsurprisingly, the single-aisle segment includes 2,556 A320neos and 4,085 A321neos, around 84% of the total backlog. The A220 accounts for 535, the A319neo 79, and there are 20 A319/ A320/A321ceos awaiting delivery.

Photo: Airbus

In the widebody segment, there are 484 A350s awaiting delivery, including orders for 39 of the new A350F freighter. Etihad Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Air Lease Corporation have each ordered seven, while four are destined for Air France, CMA CGM, Martinair, and an Undisclosed Customer, with the other two headed for Silk Way West Airlines.

Image: Airbus

Australia's Qantas has 12 A350-1000s on order for its Project Sunrise ultra-long-haul flights, with another 138 of the type in the Airbus backlog. Notable customers with A350-1000s on order, and the number, include Air India (34), Qatar Airways (20), Iran Air (16), Etihad Airways (15), Japan Airlines (13), Lucky Air (10) and Philippine Airlines (9).

Can an order book get too big? Let us know what you think and why in the comments.