Airbus Group reported a 7% increase in fourth-quarter earnings per share, reaching 3.27 euros, though revenue of 25.98 billion euros fell short of forecasts. The European planemaker’s robust order book, valued at 619 billion euros, underscores sustained demand. However, the company’s near-term outlook is clouded by a persistent supply bottleneck.

Chief Executive Guillaume Faury identified a "significant" shortage of Pratt & Whitney engines as the primary constraint, forcing Airbus to revise its 2026 delivery target downward to 870 units. This figure trails the roughly 896 planes anticipated by analysts, directly linking the production shortfall to the engine supplier, a unit of RTX Corp.

To manage the shortage, Airbus will reduce its monthly narrowbody production rate to a range of 70 to 75 aircraft by the end of 2027, stabilizing at the lower bound after that period. The previously targeted rate of 75 units in 2027 has been deferred. Despite these operational hurdles, the board proposed a 2025 dividend of 3.20 euros per share, maintaining shareholder returns amid the supply chain strain.