LYON—Airbus is pressing on with increasing its reliance on commercial aircraft services to grow revenues, company executives said Oct. 14.
Airbus Commercial Aircraft distinguishes between services, which generate income, and customer support, mostly provided for free. Service revenues have offset support expenditures since 2023. The expected trend would thus follow those in other divisions, where the proportion of services is higher.
At Airbus Helicopters, services contributed 43% of 2025 revenues.
The airframer's expected near-term growth in services would measure in double-digit percentage every year. “We see more than $10 billion of revenues by 2030,” Cristina Aguilar Grieder, senior vice president of customer services, said during the presentation of Airbus' global services forecast for the next 20 years. “That means growing faster than the market.”
For 2025, Airbus said services accounted for 11% of its €52.6 billion ($58.5 billion) commercial aircraft revenues. Airbus' power-by-the-hour offering, called flight hour services (FHS), is contributing. “We now have 1,800 aircraft under FHS contracts,” said Arnaud Demeusois, head of services marketing. “That is a doubling over the last five years.”
Airbus' services executives see such contracts—often signed for five years and more—as a way for customers to solve their supply chain problems. At its end, the company is conducting joint improvement plans with its own suppliers. “We are trying to capture more expertise on component repair, thus gaining agility,” Aguilar added.
The services team is feeling the consequences of the delivery delays Airbus customers face for current-generation aircraft, and yet it is preparing for the next generation of aircraft. As carriers wait for deliveries, current aircraft are staying in service longer than expected. Hence a need for more cabin upgrades and system modifications. “Of the active fleet, 12% is above 21 years old, up from 8% 10 years ago,” Demeusois noted.
The airframer expects modifications and upgrades demand to reach $21 billion annually in 2045, thanks to a 2.6% average annual increase. Meanwhile, the company's global services forecast factors in the next-generation aircraft Airbus may start to deliver in the 2030s. “Airlines will need to build inventories and ensure technical support that fits both old- and new-generation aircraft,” said Amaya Rodriguez Gonzales, vice president of aftermarket strategy.
Some 18,400 aircraft will retire worldwide over 2026-45, according to the forecast. To make progress in circularity and help solve spare part supply issues, Airbus plans to harness end-of-life aircraft. “We will build up the used serviceable material market, which will represent $60 billion over the next 20 years,” Rodriguez said.
Engineers could tweak the way aircraft are dismantled to target specific components, she suggested. Airbus anticipates that demand for aviation services will double from 2026, reaching an estimated annual value of more than $420 billion and supporting a global fleet of 45,550 aircraft by 2045.
Related Content
