KUALA LUMPUR: Airbus SE saw its revenue increase by 11 per cent to €65.4 billion (RM336.2 billion) for its full-year 2023 financial results ended Dec 31, 2023 from €58.8 billion (RM302.3 billion) in the same period in 2022.
The European plane manufacturer said the revenue hike was driven by higher commercial aircraft deliveries with a total 735 aircraft delivered in 2023 comprising 68 A220s, 571 A320s, 32 A330s and 64 A350s.
Revenues generated by Airbus' commercial aircraft deliveries rose 15 per cent reflecting the higher number of deliveries while Airbus Helicopters contributed four per cent to the revenue with deliveries of 346 units.
Airbus chief executive officer Guillaume Faury said the financial results reflected the company's achievement despite the challenging operating environment.
"In 2023 we recorded strong order intake across all our businesses and we delivered on our commitments. This was a significant achievement given the complexity of the operating environment," he said at Airbus' announcement of its FY2023 results.
Airbus' consolidated earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) adjusted rose four per cent to €5.83 million (RM30 million) in FY2023 from €5.62 billion (RM28.8 million) with EBIT adjusted for its commercial aircraft activities increased to €4.81 million (RM24.7 million) in 2023 due to higher deliveries and a more favourable hedge rate.
The company's board of directors has proposed a 2023 dividend of €1.80 (RM9.25) per share with a special dividend of €1.00 (RM5.14) per share.
The proposal will be discussed at Airbus' 2024 annual general meeting on April 10, 2024 while the proposed payment date is April 18, 2024.
"Our dividend proposals are a reflection of the strong 2023 financials, our growth prospects in 2024 and balance sheet strength," Faury said.
Airbus had more than doubled their total commercial aircraft orders in 2023 at 2319 aircraft compared to 1078 planes in 2022.
After cancellations, net orders reached 2094 aircraft while the order backlog was recorded at 8598 commercial aircraft at end-2023.
Airbus' helicopter unit had 393 net orders in 2023 from 362 units in 2022 while the company's defence and space order intake by value rose 15 per cent to €15.7 billion (RM80.7 billion) in 2023.
Airbus' consolidated order intake by value increased to €186.5 billion (RM958.7 billion) in 2023 compared to €82.5 billion (RM424.1 billion) in 2022, resulting in a consolidated order book valued at €554 billion (RM2.85 trillion) by end-2023.
"The increase in the consolidated backlog value mainly reflects the company-wide book-to-bill of well above one, partly offset by the weakening of the US dollar," Airbus said.
In January 2024, Airbus delivered 30 aircraft and secured 31 new commercial aircraft orders. The new orders include Delta Airlines' 20 A350-1000 aircraft and Ethiopian Airlines' 11 A350-900s.
In 2024 Airbus aims to deliver some 800 commercial aircraft and an EBIT Adjusted between €6.5 billion (RM33.4 billion) and €7 billion (RM36 billion).
"We will continue to invest in our global industrial system, while progressing on our transformation and decarbonisation journey," Faury said.
Airbus continues to ramp up its narrowbody aircraft manufacturing with a production rate of 14 aircraft in 2026 for its A220 while the A320 family airplanes would be manufactured at a rate of 75 aircraft per month in 2026.
Airbus would also continue to build four widebody A330 aircraft in 2024 per month and 10 A350s monthly in 2026.