The price of jet fuel in Europe remains extremely elevated with heightened refinery runs and inflows of fuel from the USA making little difference to pricing. Jet kerosene in Europe was broadly steady at $1,480 per tonne in northwest Europe on 28 April, as assessed by energy information provider ICIS, which is owned by RELX. This compares with under $800/t before the Iran war began in late February, and around $650/t this time last year. Yet, there was some respite for carriers in Asia, with prices of jet fuel for delivery to Singapore declining slightly to around $173 per barrel, against around $181/bbl a week earlier. Traders attribute this to increased refinery run-rates in northeast Asia, using crude sourced from the USA, West Africa and elsewhere to replace Middle East supplies. ICIS notes that the European jet fuel market "remains structurally tight" despite moving away from the risk of acute shortages seen in recent weeks. It continues that "underlying supply constraints [are] still evident", with maximised refinery runs and an influx of product from the USA providing "little respite" in the face of tight fundamentals. Notably, jet fuel stocks in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp import region fell by 7.6% in the week to 23 April, hitting its lowest level in six years, according to Insights Global data. Market participants described the jet fuel market as "just sufficient" for now, although it lacks any meaningful buffer heading into the peak flying season. Traders note that higher refinery runs alone may not be sufficient to balance summer demand. This has led to speculation that prices could tighten again into late-May as demand increases, prompting airlines to impose further capacity cuts. ICIS says that diesel demand has continued to "weaken modestly" on the back of demand destruction, which has "reinforced" the strength of jet kerosene within the middle distillate product range. As well as higher crude imports, price declines in Asia were attributed to refineries, particularly in China, gaining access to domestic crude inventories to cover the loss of imports, says ICIS. Demand destruction was also taking place as carriers across the region cancel flights, it adds. Meanwhile Chinese state-owned refiners have begun applying for government permits that would allow them to resume exports of refined oil products, amid reports of high domestic stockpiles. In North America, kerosene was assessed at $4.10 per US gallon, up from around $2.50/gal in late-February.

Airbus has resolved an "administrative delay" affecting delivery of almost 20 aircraft to China, according to Airbus finance chief Thomas Toepfer. "We had an administrative delay so almost 20 aircraft couldn't be delivered to China. The issue is resolved, and the deliveries have resumed after the close of the quarter," Toepfer said on Airbus's first-quarter earnings call held 28 April. "That is the main reason why inventory is so elevated, and it also gives you the order of magnitude of aircraft that essentially have been built and were ready but could not be delivered... because of an administrative topic that we had to resolve." Contacted for comment, Airbus tells Cirium: "All aircraft delivered to China must receive certification from the Chinese authorities – this is the normal and standard procedure. We encountered an administrative delay in this certification process during the first quarter. As mentioned, this is now behind us and the deliveries of around 20 aircraft have restarted." Airbus did not disclose the exact nature of the administrative delay. In December 2025, Airbus secured Chinese agreement to proceed with the delivery of 120 previously ordered aircraft, according to a 9 December Reuters report. That report adds that the deal, signed in Beijing, left Airbus still waiting for progress on a new order for hundreds of aircraft.

Airbus still expects to deliver around 870 aircraft this year despite delivering fewer aircraft in the March quarter compared to the same time last year. The aerospace and defence group says in an earnings release that during the three months ended March, it delivered 114 commercial aircraft, down 12 units from the same period in 2025. In part, the delays were driven by ongoing delays in receiving geared turbofan engines from Pratt & Whitney, while chief financial officer Thomas Toepfer noted during its earnings call that it had resolved an "administrative delay" affecting delivery of almost 20 aircraft to China. Those delays cumulatively drove revenue for the commercial aircraft division down 11% to €8.4 billion ($9.84 billion), and its adjusted earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) fell 84% to €81 million. More positively, it received net orders after cancellations for 398 aircraft in the quarter compared to 204 in the previous corresponding period, taking its order backlog to 9,037 at the end of March. The challenges at its commercial aircraft division overshadowed stronger revenue performance at its Defence and Space unit and stable revenue from Airbus Helicopters. Overall revenue for the group declined 7% to €12.7 billion, while reported EBIT was down 53% to €224 million. Net income fell 26% to €586 million. "The operating environment remains dynamic and complex. We are closely monitoring the potential impact from the fast-changing situation in the Middle East," says chief executive Guillame Faury. During the company's earnings call, he clarified that the Iran conflict had no direct impact on commercial deliveries and that growth was continuing in the market. "In early 2026, the passenger traffic expanded and air cargo demand showed sustained momentum. Short term, we are monitoring the situation in the Middle East and the global air traffic, and we remain confident in the fundamentals of the industry," says Faury. More immediately, however, he points out that the commercial aircraft unit will "continue to ramp up and produce as per our plan while navigating the shortage of Pratt & Whitney engines." Faury also says that Airbus is "not producing gliders at this moment", referring to airframes that are awaiting their engines. That plan expects A220 output to increase to 13 per month in 2028, while A320 production will reach 70-75 units per month by the end of 2027, stabilising at 75 in the following year. On the widebody front, it continues to target output of five A330s per month by 2028 and 12 A350s in 2028. Airbus reaffirmed its February guidance that based on commercial deliveries of around 870 aircraft, it expects to record adjusted EBIT of €7.5 billion for the full year.