Gitnux/Report 2026

Aircraft Manufacturing Industry Statistics

The global commercial-aircraft order backlog surpassed 17,000 aircraft in 2025, explore the figures behind growth, company output, and capacity constraints.
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Aircraft Manufacturing Industry Statistics
Samuel NorbergWritten by Samuel Norberg·Fact-checked by Maya Johansson
Published
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

An editor sets the topic, the inclusion criteria, and the evaluation framework before research starts.

02Source Research

AI search agents locate sources and extract each figure together with the document it came from.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 31 days

01 Industry overview

The aircraft manufacturing industry at a glance

Aircraft manufacturing is expanding against severe capacity constraints: the global commercial-aircraft order backlog surpassed 17,000 aircraft in 2025, while Airbus delivered 793 commercial aircraft, up 4% year on year.

$230B+[47]
Commercial aerospace market, 2025
17,000+[47]
Global aircraft backlog, 2025
793[13]
Airbus commercial deliveries, 2025
434,000+[1]
U.S. aeronautics and aircraft jobs, 2025
Market size
The commercial aerospace market is forecast to surpass $230 billion in 2025, according to IATA. A broader aircraft-manufacturing estimate from Mordor Intelligence places the global market at $415.2 billion in 2025, reflecting differences in scope between commercial aerospace and the wider manufacturing industry.[47][48]
Forecast & CAGR
Mordor Intelligence forecasts the aircraft-manufacturing market to grow from $415.2 billion in 2025 to $529.02 billion in 2030, a 4.96% CAGR. Boeing’s 2025–2044 outlook expects the global commercial fleet to nearly double as passenger traffic grows and older aircraft are replaced.[48][12]
Market share & regions
North America was the largest regional aircraft-manufacturing market in 2025, while Asia-Pacific was identified as the fastest-growing region. On the demand side, Asia-Pacific passenger traffic increased 7.8% in 2025, compared with 5.3% for Europe and 0.4% for North America.[49][47]
Segmentation
Aircraft manufacturing is commonly segmented by aircraft type—commercial, military, and business and general aviation—and by component, including airframes and aerostructures, engines and propulsion, avionics and flight-control systems, and landing gear. Manufacturing stages include component and subassembly production, aerostructure assembly, systems integration, and final aircraft assembly.[50]
Key players & concentration
Large commercial aircraft manufacturing is highly concentrated: Cirium forecasts Airbus and Boeing will account for 85% of global aircraft deliveries and 92% of delivery value through 2044, while COMAC is projected to capture 6% of demand. At the end of 2025, Airbus reported an 8,754-aircraft commercial backlog and Boeing reported a 6,130-aircraft backlog.[51][52]
Pricing
Aircraft pricing is supported by constrained supply and long delivery queues rather than short-term production capacity. IATA reported that narrowbody aircraft leasing rates were 20%–30% above 2019 levels, while airlines faced more than $11 billion in supply-chain-related costs in 2025.[47]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Passenger demand rose 5.3% in 2025 and the passenger load factor reached a record 83.6%, supporting new-aircraft demand. The main constraints are supply-chain disruption, engine availability, labor shortages, and quality-control issues; IATA estimated delivery shortfalls of more than 5,300 aircraft and a backlog exceeding 17,000 aircraft.[47]
Consumer behavior & competition
Air-travel demand is driving fleet replacement and expansion, with international passenger demand increasing 7.1% in 2025 and domestic demand increasing 2.4%. Narrowbody aircraft remain the dominant operating segment: Boeing 737 aircraft operated 10.8 million flights in 2025, compared with 8.7 million for the Airbus A320 and 4.2 million for the A321.[47]
M&A
Airbus completed its acquisition of selected Spirit AeroSystems industrial assets on December 8, 2025, adding more than 4,000 employees and operations in the United States, France, Morocco, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. The transaction was intended to stabilize supply for Airbus commercial-aircraft programs.[13]
Regulation
FAA Order 8120.22B, issued September 25, 2025, updated procedures for production certificates, parts manufacturer approvals, and technical standard order authorizations, and incorporated safety-management-system requirements. ICAO adopted standards in March 2026 that make CO2 limits 10% more stringent for new aircraft types, with global application beginning January 1, 2027.[53][37]
Latest news
The latest industry developments include Airbus’s record 8,754-aircraft commercial backlog at the end of 2025, its completion of the Spirit AeroSystems asset acquisition in December 2025, and expectations that production will accelerate in 2026. IATA said the supply-demand imbalance may not normalize before 2031–2034 because of accumulated delivery shortfalls and record backlogs.[13][47]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Aircraft Manufacturing Industry

The leading companies in the aircraft manufacturing industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 11, 2026 · Next review December 11, 2026

Verdict

Saab stands out for fighter production because its Aeronautics business reported SEK19.1 billion in 2025, while Boeing focuses on commercial and defense aircraft since it reported 34.4% revenue growth with a 2025 operating margin of 2.5%.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in fighter and military aircraft

    Saab

    SE

    Ranked #1 · 9.6 · Fighter and military aircraft

    Why we picked it: It reports SEK19.1 billion in 2025 Aeronautics sales and increased Gripen fighter production.

    See in ranking ↓Visit saab.com ↗

  2. Leader in commercial aircraft

    Boeing

    US

    Ranked #2 · 9.3 · Commercial aircraft

    Why we picked it: It manufactures commercial airplanes, defense products and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries.

    See in ranking ↓Visit boeing.com ↗

  3. Leader in aerospace defense systems

    Lockheed Martin

    US

    Ranked #4 · 8.9 · Aerospace defense systems

    Why we picked it: It reported $75.0 billion in 2025 net sales and operates as a global security and aerospace company.

    See in ranking ↓Visit lockheedmartin.com ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Picks 2 and 3 are the highest-ranked companies in the top 5 that add a new segment.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 10 companies in the aircraft manufacturing industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Saab

Fighter and military aircraft · SE

9.6
2

Boeing

Commercial aircraft · US

9.3
3

Airbus

Commercial aircraft · NL

9.1
4

Lockheed Martin

Aerospace defense systems · US

8.9
5

Dassault Aviation

Business aviation · FR

8.9
6

Northrop Grumman

Military aircraft and autonomous systems · US

8.8
7

General Dynamics

Business aircraft through Gulfstream · US

8.5
8

Joby Aviation

Electric vertical takeoff aircraft · US

8.2
9

Pilatus Aircraft

Business, trainer and utility aircraft · CH

8.0
10

Honda

Very light and light business jets · JP

7.5

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
  • Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
  • Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.
  • Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 11, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 11). Top 10 companies in the aircraft manufacturing industry. In Aircraft Manufacturing Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/aircraft-manufacturing-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Projection

Aircraft manufacturing shipments (United States)

Aircraft manufacturing shipments grew from $95.6B in 2021 to $96.8B in 2024.

$95.6B
Start
+0.42%
CAGR · 3y
$96.8B
Projected
20212024
source-verifiedfred.stlouisfed.org2024

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

Automation and digital continuity dominate adoption signals in 2025, with 60% investing in automation for full-rate production and 82% citing digital-continuity investments as a competitive edge.

AI in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • 22% of surveyed aerospace and defense organizations used generative AI informally in full-rate production in 2025.[1]
  • 7% of surveyed aerospace and defense organizations used generative AI through large-scale efforts in engineering in 2025.[1]
  • 23% of surveyed aerospace and defense organizations used generative AI through small-scale efforts in research and development in 2025.[1]

Automation in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • 60% of surveyed aerospace and defense organizations were investing in automation for full-rate production in 2025.[1]
  • 15.63% of aerospace-manufacturing respondents reported that none of their business processes were automated in 2025.[2]
  • 1.88% of aerospace-manufacturing respondents said all their manufacturing services were automated in 2025.[2]
  • 50% of aerospace-manufacturing survey respondents used robotic manufacturing in 2025.[2]

Digital Transformation in the aerospace and defense sector (sector benchmark)

  • 82% of global aerospace and defense organizations say digital-continuity investments help maintain a competitive edge, according to a 2025 survey.[3]
  • 83% of global aerospace and defense organizations agree that digital continuity is a key enabler of strategic business transformation, according to a 2025 survey.[3]
  • 60–70% of European aerospace and defense executives expect digital transformation to have a high or very high impact by 2028, while only 20–30% report advanced digital maturity today.[4]
  • 30% of global aerospace and defense organizations had already reduced time to market through digital continuity, with an average 13% reduction, in 2025.[3]
  • 22% of global aerospace and defense companies reported having clean, structured data in a central repository ready for analysis in McKinsey’s digital-maturity study.[5]

Technology Adoption in the aerospace and defense sector (sector benchmark)

  • 27% of aerospace and defense manufacturers reported adopting AI-powered industrial IoT in 2024.[6]
  • 30% of U.S. defense companies reported incorporating no AI into their defense products or services in the 2026 survey.[7]
  • 31% of aerospace and defense manufacturers reported adopting generative AI in 2024.[6]
  • 41% of aerospace and defense manufacturers reported adopting predictive AI in 2024.[6]
  • 61% of aerospace and defense manufacturers reported adopting AI automation, the highest share among sectors surveyed in 2024.[6]

Cloud Computing in the aerospace and defense sector (sector benchmark)

  • 52% of European defense-industry executives ranked cloud computing among their top three technologies for augmenting production ramp-up in 2025.[3]
  • 60% of aerospace and defense companies expected better security from cloud adoption in Accenture’s survey.[8]
  • 44% of aerospace and defense companies had completed regulatory-compliance planning for cloud adoption, while 52% remained in the planning stage.[8]
  • 20% of European defense-industry executives used cloud computing extensively across more than half of processes and activities in 2025.[3]
  • 38% of aerospace and defense companies had mature cloud practices and tools in place in Accenture’s survey.[8]

Big Data in the aerospace and defense sector (sector benchmark)

  • 15% of aerospace and defense companies used digital and analytics for procurement at scale in McKinsey’s study.[9]
  • 62% of European defense-industry executives ranked data and analytics among their top three technologies for augmenting production ramp-up in 2025.[3]
  • 28% of aerospace and defense companies reported having a data-use vision or strategy aligned with business objectives in McKinsey’s study.[5]
  • 29% of European defense-industry executives used data and analytics extensively across more than half of processes and activities in 2025.[3]
  • 29% of aerospace and defense leaders said their enterprise data was standardized, governed and accessible in the 2026 digital-thread study.[10]

IoT in the aerospace and defense sector (sector benchmark)

  • 14% of European defense-industry executives used IoT or industrial IoT extensively across more than half of processes and activities in 2025.[3]
  • 55% of industrial organizations used both satellite and terrestrial connectivity for IoT deployments in 2025.[11]
  • 78% of industrial-organization respondents said their IoT progress increased over the previous 12 months in 2025.[11]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

A recurring production constraint is data readiness: 61% report poor data quality limits emerging-tech adoption, and 32% cite data-quality issues as a barrier to digital-twin adoption.

Data analytics in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • Digital solutions and analytics are one of four market segments in Boeing’s commercial aviation services forecast for 2026–2045, alongside MRO, parts and training.[12]
  • Airbus’s 2026 services forecast identifies digital transformation as one of three core growth pillars for aviation services through 2045.[13]

Data Quality in the aerospace and defense sector (sector benchmark)

  • 29% of aerospace and defense leaders said their enterprise data was standardized, governed and accessible in 2026, indicating that 71% lacked this level of data readiness.[14]
  • 61% of manufacturing leaders globally said poor data quality limits their ability to adopt and optimize emerging technologies in 2025; aerospace respondents were included in the sector analysis.[15]
  • 32% of manufacturing leaders globally identified data-quality issues as a barrier to digital-twin adoption in 2025; aerospace respondents were included in the sector analysis.[15]
  • 68% of aerospace respondents rated data and technology adoption as a priority in 2025, compared with 61% across the overall manufacturing sample.[15]

Data Governance in the aerospace and defense sector (sector benchmark)

  • 38% of defense contractors pursuing CMMC 2.0 Level 2 had comprehensive governance control and tracking systems in 2025, while 62% lacked them.[16]
  • 42% of defense-organization respondents identified data governance and policies for sharing with external partners as a barrier to AI implementation in 2021.[17]
  • 55% of security and defense firms used advanced security capabilities, including governance tracking and control, for internal sensitive-content communications in 2024.[16]
  • 48% of security and defense firms said they tagged and classified more than three-quarters of their unstructured data in 2024.[16]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Output and backlog indicators stay central for 2025 planning, with Airbus delivering 793 commercial aircraft and reaching a year-end commercial backlog of 8,754.

Growth in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • Airbus employed 165,294 people in 2025, up 5% from 156,921 in 2024.[13]
  • Airbus delivered 793 commercial aircraft in 2025, up from 766 in 2024, while its year-end commercial backlog reached a record 8,754 aircraft.[13]
  • Embraer reported a $26.3 billion backlog in 2024 across commercial aviation, executive jets, defense and services.[18]
  • Safran invested 5% of 2024 revenue in self-funded research and development, with 88% of self-funded research and technology spending allocated to environmental efficiency.[19]

Differentiation in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • 93 Airbus A220 aircraft were delivered in 2025, approximately 25% more than in 2024, according to Airbus’s 2026 annual conference materials.[13]
  • 20 Airbus A350F freighters were included in the company’s 285 net widebody orders in 2025.[13]
  • A321XLR aircraft had been delivered to 6 operators by the end of 2025, marking Airbus’s first full year of service for the model.[13]
  • Every 10 seconds, an Embraer aircraft took off somewhere in the world in 2024, according to the company’s annual report.[18]

Mergers and acquisitions in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • $1.55 billion was the 2024 revenue of Collins Aerospace’s flight-control and actuation business acquired by Safran in 2025.[19]
  • $4.7 billion was the reported value of Boeing’s acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems, completed in December 2025.[20]
  • 450+ employees worked for Component Repair Technologies, acquired by Safran Aircraft Engines in January 2025.[19]
  • Approximately 4,000 employees worked in the Collins Aerospace flight-control and actuation business acquired by Safran in 2025.[19]

Strategic partnerships in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • €16 billion was Safran’s 2024 purchasing volume from suppliers, under its sustainable procurement and supplier-relations program.[19]
  • More than 2,000 U.S. suppliers supported Airbus through annual spending of nearly $15 billion across over 40 states in 2026, illustrating Airbus’s regional industrial partnerships.[13]
  • Dassault Aviation and Reliance Infrastructure agreed in 2025 to manufacture Falcon 2000 LXS business jets in India for the global market.[21]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Workforce availability remains a constraint theme, while aerospace and defense recruiting relies on internships and university or career-fair recruiting in 2025.

Hiring in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • 93% of surveyed aerospace and defense companies said mission or purpose helped attract candidates in 2025.[1]
  • 62% of surveyed aerospace and defense companies said salary helped attract candidates in 2025.[1]
  • 85% of surveyed aerospace and defense companies used internships as a school-engagement activity in 2025.[1]
  • 85% of surveyed aerospace and defense companies used university or career-fair recruiting in 2025.[1]

Employee retention in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • 14.5% was the average employee turnover rate reported by surveyed aerospace and defense organizations in 2024.[1]
  • 15.6% was the average employee turnover rate reported by surveyed aerospace and defense organizations in 2021.[1]
  • 14.4% was the average employee turnover rate reported by surveyed aerospace and defense organizations in 2023.[1]
  • 17.0% was the average employee turnover rate reported by surveyed aerospace and defense organizations in 2022.[1]

Remote Work in the aerospace and defense sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across U.S. Department of Defense civilian employees, 11.25% of recorded work hours were routine telework in calendar year 2024.[22]
  • Across U.S. Department of Defense civilian positions, approximately 65% to 68% were eligible for telework or remote work during the period reviewed through February 2025.[22]
  • Across U.S. Department of Defense civilian employees, 6% of recorded work hours were situational telework in calendar year 2024.[22]
  • Across U.S. Department of Defense civilian employees, 1.43% of recorded work hours were remote in calendar year 2024.[22]

Hybrid Work in the aerospace and defense sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across U.S. workers, 39% worked from home at least some of the time during the week before the Federal Reserve’s 2025 survey.[23]
  • Among U.S. remote-capable employees, 61% preferred hybrid work in November 2025.[24]
  • Among U.S. remote-capable employees, 33% preferred exclusively remote work in November 2025.[24]
  • Across U.S. Department of Defense civilian employees, 81.32% of recorded work hours were in-person in calendar year 2024, indicating limited hybrid-work utilization overall.[22]

Upskilling in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • 59% of surveyed aerospace and defense companies offered management-leadership training programs in 2025.[1]
  • 41% of surveyed aerospace and defense companies targeted informal coaching or job rotation in their upskilling and reskilling programs in 2025.[1]
  • 91% of surveyed aerospace and defense companies offered internship programs in 2025.[1]
  • 47% of surveyed aerospace and defense companies offered apprenticeship programs in 2025.[1]

Employee Engagement in the aerospace and defense sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across 25 aerospace and defense organizations, 32% reported no change in employee engagement scores in 2024.[1]
  • Across 25 aerospace and defense organizations, 16% did not measure employee engagement in 2024.[1]
  • Across 25 aerospace and defense organizations, 8% reported worse employee engagement scores in 2024 than during the prior year.[1]
  • Across 25 aerospace and defense organizations, 44% reported better employee engagement scores in 2024 than during the prior year.[1]
  • Among NASA civil servants, the 2024 Employee Engagement Index was 84.4% positive across the U.S. space agency workforce.[25]

Change Management in the aerospace and defense sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across aerospace companies surveyed globally, 43% missed their user-acceptance or change-management transformation target in 2023.[26]
  • Across aerospace companies surveyed in Germany, 73% said employees must be open to change and support it in 2019.[27]
  • Across aerospace companies surveyed globally, 57% cited demanding or overly ambitious timescales as a transformation challenge in 2023.[26]
  • Across aviation and aerospace companies, more than 90% failed to achieve all transformation goals in the 2025 Change Management Compass study.[28]
  • Across aerospace companies surveyed in Germany, 93% said executives must be open to change and act as change role models in 2019.[27]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Order flow is supported by constrained supply, with Airbus recording 889 net commercial-aircraft orders in 2025 and delivering 793 commercial aircraft the same year.

Customer retention in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • 889 net commercial-aircraft orders were recorded by Airbus in 2025, including repeat orders from existing customers.[13]
  • 826 net commercial-aircraft orders were recorded by Airbus in 2024, with many existing customers reordering aircraft.[13]
  • 793 commercial aircraft were delivered by Airbus to customers in 2025.[13]

Customer acquisition in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • 86 customers received Airbus commercial-aircraft deliveries in 2024.[29]
  • 57 customers placed Airbus commercial-aircraft orders in 2025.[13]
  • 455 customers had ordered Airbus aircraft by December 31, 2025.[13]

Customer loyalty in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • 90 Airbus aircraft were ordered by Avolon in 2025.[13]
  • 70 Airbus aircraft were ordered by BOC Aviation in 2025.[13]
  • 100 Airbus aircraft were ordered by Vietjet in 2025, making it the largest listed customer order of the year.[13]

Lead generation in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • 52% of surveyed aerospace and defense companies used trade-school career fairs to generate talent leads in 2025.[1]
  • 61% of surveyed aerospace and defense companies sponsored STEM fairs or engineering competitions to generate talent leads in 2025.[1]
  • 85% of surveyed aerospace and defense companies used career fairs or universities to generate talent leads in 2025.[1]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Buyer attention remains tied to credibility and relevance, with 58% of B2B marketing leaders citing authenticity and credibility as criteria in 2025.

Marketing in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • 889 net commercial aircraft orders were recorded by Airbus in 2025 after cancellations, compared with 826 in 2024.[13]
  • 1,000 gross commercial aircraft orders were recorded by Airbus in 2025, including orders from repeat customers and new customers worldwide.[13]
  • 43,000 new passenger and freighter aircraft are forecast by Airbus to be required globally over the 20 years following 2025.[13]
  • 90 customers worldwide had placed more than 2,250 Boeing 787 family orders by November 2025.[30]

Influencer Marketing in the aerospace and defense sector (sector benchmark)

  • 28% of B2B marketing leaders across six countries ranked thought leaders or industry analysts as the most effective influencer type in 2025.[31]
  • 58% of B2B marketing leaders across six countries cited authenticity and credibility as criteria for selecting creators in 2025.[31]
  • 49% of B2B marketing leaders across six countries cited industry relevance as a criterion for selecting creators in 2025.[31]
  • 29% of B2B marketing leaders across six countries planned to adopt influencer marketing within the following year in 2025.[31]
  • 55% of B2B marketing leaders across the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Brazil, India and Australia were using influencers in 2025.[31]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Industrial scaling stays bound by compliance and quality checks, including FAA non-compliance findings at Boeing’s 737 MAX plant in 2024 across 33 of 89 process areas reviewed.

Process optimization in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • 20 manufacturing sites operated Airbus commercial-aircraft production and assembly activities before final assembly in 2025.[13]
  • 10 aircraft per month is the planned 2026 production rate for Boeing’s expanded 787 site in South Carolina.[30]
  • 32% year-on-year growth in GE Aerospace total orders accompanied its 2025 operational-improvement program.[32]
  • 1,000 employees were added by Airbus at its second A320 Family assembly line in Mobile, Alabama, which opened in October 2025.[13]

Operational efficiency in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • 4% was the increase in Airbus commercial-aircraft deliveries in 2025, reaching 793 aircraft.[13]
  • 24% was the increase in GE Aerospace free cash flow in 2025, reaching $7.7 billion amid higher output and operational improvements.[32]
  • 600 commercial aircraft were delivered by Boeing in 2025, its highest annual total since 2018.[30]
  • 793 commercial aircraft were delivered by Airbus in 2025, up from 766 in 2024.[13]

Quality management in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • 90% of Airbus employees worked under ISO 14001 environmental-management criteria in 2024.[13]
  • 33 of 89 manufacturing-process areas reviewed at Boeing’s 737 MAX plant were found non-compliant by the FAA in 2024.[20]
  • 100% of Airbus direct suppliers are contractually required to meet safety and quality requirements beyond ISO EN9100 standards.[13]
  • 6,000 quality and safety employees were added or supported by Boeing’s 2024 investment and organizational response, according to the company’s shareholder address.[12]

Supply chain in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • More than 500 direct suppliers supported GE Aerospace’s engine and aerospace production activities in 2025.[32]
  • 13,000 active suppliers supported Lockheed Martin operations in 2025, including suppliers in every U.S. state and more than 52 countries outside the United States.[33]
  • 1,000 suppliers supported Airbus activities in Canada during 2023–2025, with more than half classified as small or medium-sized companies.[13]
  • More than 2,000 U.S.-based suppliers across over 40 states supplied Airbus in 2025.[13]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the aerospace and defense sector (sector benchmark)

  • 46% of aerospace companies reported that most supply-chain expenditures were concentrated within their own region, including neighboring countries, in 2024.[34]
  • Nearly 60% of US aerospace and defense companies were considering localization strategies, while 15% had developed or navigated reshoring or onshoring strategies, in 2025.[1]
  • 23.35% of aerospace survey respondents reported manufacturing 51–75% of components in-house, in 2023.[2]
  • 53% of aerospace and defense executives expected to reshore or nearshore their suppliers, on average, within the following three years, in 2022.[35]
  • 21.35% of aerospace survey respondents reported manufacturing less than 25% of components in-house, indicating highly outsourced production, in 2023.[2]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Cost pressure and margin profiles differ by platform makers, including Airbus’s 6% revenue growth with an 8.3% operating margin in 2025.

Cost reduction in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • $6 billion was invested by Boeing in research, development and capital expenditures during 2024, including manufacturing-site expansions and production facilities.[12]
  • 40 basis points was the 2025 margin expansion reported by GE Aerospace’s Commercial Engines and Services business.[32]
  • $15 billion was Airbus’s annual spending with U.S. suppliers in 2025, supporting manufacturing scale and regional supply capacity.[13]
  • 24% was the increase in GE Aerospace free cash flow in 2025, reaching $7.7 billion as the company pursued operating improvements.[32]

Profitability in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • $10.0 billion was GE Aerospace’s 2025 GAAP profit, up 31% from the prior year.[32]
  • $9.1 billion was GE Aerospace’s 2025 operating profit, up 25% year on year.[32]
  • $5.0 billion was Lockheed Martin’s net earnings in 2025 on sales of $75.0 billion.[36]
  • 21.4% was GE Aerospace’s adjusted operating-profit margin in 2025, up 70 basis points year on year.[32]

Financial planning in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • 60% of Lockheed Martin’s $193.6 billion backlog was expected to convert to revenue within 24 months of December 31, 2025.[33]
  • 37% of Lockheed Martin’s $193.6 billion backlog was expected to convert to revenue within 12 months of December 31, 2025.[33]
  • €619 billion was Airbus’s consolidated order backlog at the end of 2025.[13]
  • $682 billion was Boeing’s total company backlog at the end of 2025, including more than 6,100 commercial airplanes.[30]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Support and aftermarket volumes expand the scope beyond new builds, including a Boeing forecast of $4.9 trillion for commercial aviation support-and-services from 2026 through 2045.

Product development in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • More than 20 manufacturing sites support Airbus aircraft production, with separate facilities producing or assembling major aircraft sections before final assembly in Europe and elsewhere.[13]
  • $6 billion was invested by Boeing in research and development and capital expenditures in 2024, including commercial production sites and advanced combat-aircraft manufacturing facilities in the United States.[12]

Product lifecycle in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • End-of-service recovery rates can exceed 90% for aircraft types currently being retired, although much recovered material is downcycled into other industries.[37]
  • Aircraft are designed for more than 25 years and operate for more than 20 years on average, according to ICAO’s 2025 environmental assessment.[37]
  • More than 18,400 aircraft are expected to retire by 2045, creating a cumulative $60 billion market for dismantling and certified used serviceable materials.[13]
  • More than 15,500 commercial aircraft have been built by Airbus during its more than 50-year history, covering design, certification, production, delivery and operating life.[13]

After-sales in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • $4.9 trillion is Boeing’s forecast for the global commercial aviation support-and-services market from 2026 through 2045.[12]
  • $422 billion is Airbus’s forecast for the global aviation services market in 2045, up from $209 billion in 2026.[13]
  • $29.72 billion was Boeing’s Global Services backlog at December 31, 2025.[30]
  • 2.44 million aviation professionals will require training by 2045, including 660,000 pilots, 730,000 technicians and 1.05 million cabin crew members.[13]

Value proposition in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • $682.207 billion was Boeing’s total company backlog at December 31, 2025, including $567.290 billion for Commercial Airplanes.[30]
  • More than 5,000 commercial airplanes were included in Boeing’s commercial-customer backlog in 2025, representing more than half a trillion dollars of portfolio value.[12]
  • More than 49,000 aircraft are projected to comprise the global commercial fleet by 2044, nearly double the fleet size described in Airbus’s 2025 services forecast.[13]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Manufacturers’ emissions targets remain explicit, including Boeing’s 2030 target of 30% reducing Scope 1 and market-based Scope 2 emissions from its 2023 base year.

Sustainability in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • 30% is Boeing’s 2030 target for reducing Scope 1 and market-based Scope 2 emissions from its 2023 base year.[12]
  • 464,000 metric tons of market-based Scope 2 greenhouse-gas emissions were reported by Boeing in 2024.[12]
  • 517,000 metric tons of Scope 1 greenhouse-gas emissions were reported by Boeing in 2024.[12]
  • 352 million metric tons of Scope 3 emissions from the use of sold commercial airplanes were reported by Boeing in 2024.[12]

ESG in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • 100% of Lockheed Martin employees received anti-corruption training in 2024, according to the company’s ESG performance data.[38]
  • 6,000-plus Lockheed Martin suppliers had participated in an aerospace-and-defense ESG assessment initiative by 2025.[33]
  • 100% of Lockheed Martin business partners received anti-corruption training in 2024.[38]
  • 100% of Lockheed Martin governance-body members received anti-corruption training in 2024.[38]

Ethics in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • 800 approximately subject-matter experts were surveyed by Lockheed Martin in its compliance-risk assessment process.[38]
  • 100% participation was achieved by Lockheed Martin in its live leader-led annual ethics-awareness training.[33]

CSR in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • 6.4 percentage points was Boeing’s increase since 2020 in the share of its U.S. workforce composed of racial and ethnic minorities, reported in 2024.[30]
  • 1.2 percentage points was Boeing’s increase since 2020 in the share of its global workforce composed of women, reported in 2024.[30]

Circular economy in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • One first-of-its-kind aerospace-grade titanium ingot containing end-of-life titanium scrap was completed in June 2025 for reuse in new airframe parts.[13]
  • Up to 93.5 billion dollars is the projected aircraft-aftermarket-parts market in 2032, according to the ICAO environmental report’s cited forecast.[37]

Carbon footprint in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • 1.142 million metric tons of market-based greenhouse-gas emissions excluding sold products were calculated by Boeing for 2024.[12]
  • 21 million metric tons of Scope 3 emissions from the use of sold defense, space and security products were reported by Boeing in 2024.[12]
  • Less than 1% of an aircraft’s total lifecycle greenhouse-gas emissions are attributed to aircraft manufacturing in Boeing’s lifecycle assessment summary.[39]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Supply networks operate across many geographies, with Airbus reporting approximately 18,400 suppliers from more than 100 countries in 2026.

Globalization in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • More than 100 countries were served by Embraer’s operations in 2024, spanning commercial aviation, executive jets, defense and services.[18]
  • More than 100 countries supplied parts, components, systems and services to Airbus through approximately 18,400 suppliers in 2026.[13]
  • Five countries and three continents hosted Airbus Atlantic’s more than 14,000 employees in 2024.[13]
  • 85% of Boeing’s global workforce was located in the United States, representing more than 150,000 employees, according to Boeing’s 2026 U.S. profile.[12]

Supplier management in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • More than 2,000 U.S. suppliers in over 40 states received nearly $15 billion in annual Airbus spending, supporting a further 275,000 American jobs.[13]
  • €53 billion was Airbus’s external sourcing volume in 2023, with more than 18,000 suppliers collaborating with the group.[13]
  • More than 500 suppliers supported Airbus Atlantic’s flying products and more than 2,000 supplied its general procurement activities in 2024.[13]
  • Approximately 18,400 suppliers from more than 100 countries supplied Airbus with parts, components, systems and services in 2026.[13]

Stakeholder management in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • $97 billion was Boeing’s reported annual contribution to the U.S. economy in its 2026 U.S. profile.[12]
  • 1.4 million U.S. jobs were supported directly and indirectly across all 50 states by Boeing’s activities, according to its 2026 U.S. profile.[12]
  • 275,000 additional American jobs were supported by Airbus’s annual spending with U.S. suppliers, according to the company’s 2026 U.S. profile.[13]

Distribution channels in the aircraft manufacturing industry

  • More than 9,000 aircraft had been manufactured and delivered by Embraer by 2024, with distribution hubs and service centers on several continents.[18]
  • 800+ operators in North America operated more than 3,500 Airbus helicopters in 2026, covering emergency, public-service and commercial missions.[13]
  • More than 2,000 Airbus employees worked in aircraft-production and engineering facilities in Alabama in 2026.[13]
  • 145 million passengers were transported annually by Embraer aircraft worldwide in 2024, according to the company’s annual report.[18]

16 Statistics

Regional markets

China-focused manufacturing remains present in the dataset, including 47 COMAC deliveries in 2024 across the C909 and C919 families.

The aircraft manufacturing industry in China

  • RMB28,472 million was AviChina’s aviation entire-aircraft business revenue in 2024, covering aircraft manufacturing activities in China.[44]
  • 14 C919 aircraft had been delivered by COMAC to China’s three major airlines by December 19, 2024.[45]
  • 71,847 employees worked for AviChina at December 31, 2024, supporting China’s aviation manufacturing and related businesses.[44]
  • 47 aircraft were delivered by COMAC in 2024, comprising 35 C909 regional jets and 12 C919 narrowbody jets.[46]

Key questions about the aircraft manufacturing industry

How large is the aircraft-manufacturing market in 2025?
The commercial aerospace market is forecast to surpass $230 billion in 2025, and a broader aircraft-manufacturing estimate places the global market at $415.2 billion in 2025.
What growth rate should analysts use for aircraft manufacturing through 2030?
Mordor Intelligence forecasts growth from $415.2 billion in 2025 to $529.02 billion in 2030, a 4.96% CAGR.
Which companies lead the aircraft manufacturing industry?
Saab stands out for fighter production because its Aeronautics business reported SEK19.1 billion in 2025, while Boeing focuses on commercial and defense aircraft since it reported 34.4% revenue growth with a 2025 operating margin of 2.5%.
What technology shifts are visible in aerospace and defense manufacturing during 2025?
In 2025, 60% invested in automation for full-rate production and 82% reported digital-continuity investments helping maintain a competitive edge.
How concentrated is commercial aircraft manufacturing?
Cirium forecasts Airbus and Boeing at 85% of global aircraft deliveries and 92% of delivery value through 2044.
Why are delivery queues still shaping aircraft pricing and planning?
Aircraft pricing is supported by constrained supply and long delivery queues, with IATA estimating delivery shortfalls of more than 5,300 aircraft and a backlog exceeding 17,000 aircraft.
Reference

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Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 11). Aircraft Manufacturing Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/aircraft-manufacturing-industry-statistics
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Samuel Norberg. "Aircraft Manufacturing Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 11 Nov 2026, https://gitnux.org/aircraft-manufacturing-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Aircraft Manufacturing Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/aircraft-manufacturing-industry-statistics.

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