Airbus delivered 611 commercial aircraft in 2021 – 45 more than it had handed to customers in the previous year. The European airframer increased output of its A320 and A220 families, while production of its A330 and A350 long-haul lines slightly declined. Deliveries included the last production A380 to Emirates in December.
Airbus says it gross order intake doubled to 771 new sales versus 2020. Net order intake stood at 507 sales. The A320neo family received 661 gross new orders, while 64 gross commitments were received for the A220. Widebody gross orders stood at 30 A330s and 16 A350s. Orders for the latter type included 11 commitments for the newly launched A350 Freighter. Chief executive Guillaume states that the order and delivery results represent "focus and resilience" of the airframer's employees, customers, suppliers and stakeholders, and are a signal of "confidence in the sustainable growth of air travel post-Covid". He adds: "While uncertainties remain, we are on track to lift production through 2022 to meet our customers’ requirements." Airbus will publish its 2021 financial results on 17 February.

Ryanair intends to shut its base in Frankfurt International and redistribute the five aircraft allocated there to airports that have cut their landing fees amid the pandemic. The low-cost carrier currently operates 13 routes across Europe from the German hub, mostly Mediterranean leisure routes. "We are disappointed to announce the closure of our Frankfurt am Main base at the end of March 2022, but we have no alternative in response to a decision from the airport to increase its airport fees, despite the collapse in traffic caused by the Covid-19 pandemic," says Ryanair commercial director Jason McGuinness. The airline argues that amid the industry crisis "airports must incentivise traffic recovery". All of Ryanair's Frankfurt-based pilots and cabin crew have been notified of the base closure and can secure alternative positions within the network. "While Ryanair continues to invest in Germany (as evidenced by a $200m investment in a new two-aircraft Nuremberg base), the German government continues to protect legacy carriers, such as Lufthansa, who have soaked up €9bn in state aid, rather than introduce non-discriminatory traffic recovery schemes open to all airlines," the budget operator complains. It plans to increase its services across Europe in summer 2022, backed by deliveries of 65 new Boeing 737 Max jets. With many competitors having reduced their fleets and capacity because of Covid-19, the airline asserts that there are a "multitude" of airports seeking to capture growth.

Colombian flag carrier Avianca is rejecting two Airbus A321’s as part of its US Chapter 11 restructuring process. Court documents filed on 6 January show that the airline rejected MSNs 6511 and 6767 on 15 December. Avianca had on 1 December filed a schedule of aircraft leases to be assumed on condition that definitive documentation and approval orders were met. The Latin American operator rejected the two aircraft when the deadline to agree terms was reached on 15 December. Data shows that the two aircraft form part of Avianca's 2015-2 EETC portfolio. DAE Capital is listed as the servicer of the aircraft, while court documents show that Wells Fargo is the trustee. Avianca completed the financing of 11 aircraft in 2015 via two issuances under an enhanced aviation investment vehicle (EAIV) private EETC structure. That structure was created by Burnham Sterling, which was mandated as lead arranger and sole bookrunner in the deals.