(Bloomberg) -- Airbus SE delivered around 50 aircraft last month, people familiar with the matter said, stepping up handovers as coronavirus concerns eased and before the war in Ukraine dimmed recovery hopes for airlines.
The figures are still being audited with a final tally due later Tuesday, according to the people, who asked not to be named discussing confidential information. The European planemaker will have delivered about 80 aircraft in January and February as it targets 720 over the course of 2022.
Airline industry prospects for a strong rebound in profit from the Covid-19 crisis have faded since Airbus set that target last month, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine triggering higher fuel prices, flight cancellations and costly detours that are set to eat into margins.
Airbus also has 13 A350 wide-body jets on its books for Russian flag carrier Aeroflot PJSC that can no longer be delivered following the imposition of sanctions on Moscow.
A spokesman for the Toulouse, France-based manufacturer declined to comment ahead of publication of the final figures.
©2022 Bloomberg L.P.
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