If the recovery is extremely fragile with the threat of the Delta variant, Airbus is emerging "gradually" from the crisis, assures its boss, Guillaume Faury.
A slight improvement which also applies to Boeing, as well as to the airlines, which are again optimistic for the future.
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"We were facing a mountain to cross and we crossed the mountain."
These are the words Thursday morning of Guillaume Faury, the boss of Airbus.
The European aircraft manufacturer posted a net profit of 2.2 billion euros after two semesters in the red thanks to significant deliveries of planes compared to last year.
The European aircraft manufacturer delivered 297 aircraft between January and June against 196 last year.
The A320 in the foreground
But for Airbus, there is still a package of passes to overcome to consider a more serene future.
The airlines have not yet recovered, far from it, their pre-Covid-19 crisis level, especially on long-distance flights.
The price of plane tickets is still lower on average than before the arrival of the Covid and, above all, the Delta variant is causing trouble in this fragile recovery.
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Despite everything, according to Airbus, the way out of the crisis is gradual.
The group is therefore raising its production levels, particularly on the A320.
This single-aisle truly represents his bestseller.
The group is also gradually phasing out partial activity schemes.
Thanks to this takeover, Airbus hopes to deliver 600 aircraft this year.
He had hitherto expected nearly 570.
United record order
Its big competitor, Boeing, also sees a little light at the end of the tunnel.
The group made money in the second quarter for the first time since 2019. The companies are also starting to order again.
United Airlines, for example, has just placed the largest order in its history, with 200 Boeing 737 MAX and 70 Airbus A321 Neo.