A Guide to Aerospace Investment Decisions
October 30, 2020
The aerospace and defense (A&D) industry had a record year in 2019. Revenue passenger miles set a record, up 4.2 percent from 2018, and have been growing at roughly double GDP for the past two decades. Airbus’ and Boeing’s order backlogs ended 2019 at around 13,000 aircraft. The industry reported a record $780 billion in revenue — 5 percent over 2018.
But in March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic plunged the industry into crisis, literally overnight, with air traffic decreasing about 90 percent as society shut down and stayed at home. Hopes for a quick recovery have been dashed by the persistence of transmissions, and many believe it may take up to five years for a full recovery. Current projections are that airlines may rack up more than $80 billion in losses in 2020.