The start of the new business year is an opportunity to take stock of our mid-year performance.
With 821 net orders and a record backlog of 9,222 aircraft, the appeal of our planes remains undiminished. This commercial momentum, which secures our future, is the result of our employees' daily commitment, their expertise, and their ability to overcome industrial challenges.
However, an order only becomes a success once the aircraft is produced and delivered—in full compliance with quality and safety standards and the commitments made to our customers.
By the end of July, Airbus had delivered 418 aircraft. Consequently, meeting the target of 870 deliveries in 2026 presents a significant industrial challenge for the second half of the year.
The production ramp-up for the A320, A330, and A350 programs continues to face very real challenges: supplier fragility, the availability of engines and equipment, recruitment difficulties, and persistent skills shortages.
These obstacles—and the resulting pressure—cannot be offset indefinitely by the dedication of teams and the accumulation of overtime.
Long-term industrial performance requires a more robust supply chain, mature workstations, investment commensurate with ambitions, an efficient organization, and a workforce sized to meet actual needs.
Another challenge facing Airbus is its future next-generation single-aisle aircraft—part of the eAction program—which symbolizes the drive to accelerate the decarbonization of air transport. This vital challenge will mobilize increasingly large teams in the years ahead.
Preparing for the future therefore also means preserving and developing our skills. The industrial expertise that underpins Airbus’s reputation and strength takes time to acquire, master, and pass on.
To ensure the transfer of this expertise, FO continues to call for the "mentor" role to be fully recognized and valued in line with its strategic importance, particularly given the exceptionally high number of new hires requiring training at Airbus Commercial in recent years.
Retaining existing skills is a prerequisite for preserving and passing on our know-how. This requires offering employees genuine opportunities for career progression within their specific roles and areas of expertise, ensuring that the "race for mobility"—often involving a shift to different types of jobs—does not become the only path for advancement.
For this reason, FO will continue to advocate for changes regarding current job classifications and career management practices at Airbus Commercial.
Recruiting, training, retaining, and recognizing employees must be a strategic priority for Airbus—now more than ever!
This recognition must also be reflected in remuneration. For FO, base salary remains the cornerstone of value sharing. While bonuses, profit-sharing schemes, and employee share ownership plans are important, they must complement—and never replace—base salary.
In our 2026/2027 wage agreement, FO demanded and secured a “review clause” due to the uncertainties and the high risk of a surge in inflation in 2026. This ensures we do not have to wait until 2027 to analyze the level and impact of inflation, allowing us to do so as early as this final quarter.
This mid-year review also offers an opportunity to look back at two periods of high tension.
Following the issue of profit-sharing, the topic of remote work unexpectedly found its way onto the social agenda...
FO’s stance on remote work remains unwavering: we simply ask that the QVCT (Quality of Work Life and Working Conditions) agreement be applied in full and in good faith, without distorting its intent.
For FO, it is not only possible but essential to reconcile industrial imperatives and the need for on-site presence with employee autonomy and work-life balance.
Employees and their unions—led by the majority organizations that hold real bargaining power thanks to their membership numbers and the workforce they represent—ultimately succeeded in restoring common sense and ensuring full compliance with our agreement:
- revocation of the directive limiting remote work to a maximum of one day per week,
- retention of the option for an average of two days of remote work per week,
- retention of the requirement for managers to hold a meeting with the employee—specifying in writing any new operational team needs that necessitate a change in schedule—with one month’s notice.
In the coming weeks, FO will therefore ensure the proper implementation of the memo regarding remote work issued on July 22 for managers and HRBPs.
Everyone must exercise pragmatism and good judgment in order to restore a sense of calm and trust within the teams. Airbus needs this now more than ever!
The success of Airbus Commercial determines the jobs, investments, and future of our sites.
Airbus has the necessary aircraft, orders, and expertise. Now, the industrial and social conditions must be established to transform this commercial momentum into lasting success.
Airbus must continue to view social stability as a factor of competitiveness. Such stability requires proactive dialogue, trust, loyalty, and fair recognition of work. For its part, FO will continue to support Airbus’s performance whenever it helps build our future. FO will also remain firmly committed to every negotiation to secure tangible progress for employees, insisting—through the use of leverage if necessary—on a social dialogue that is rigorous, balanced, and always mutually beneficial.