Airbus // Universal Registration Document 2023
1. Information on the Company’s Activities
1.1 Presentation of the Company
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Customer Services Demand for services is increasing. In 2023, the aftermarket players served more than 24,000 airliners (passenger aircraft above 100 seats & freighters with a payload above 10t). Airbus Customer Services plays in this market with the aim of being the customers’ companion in fleet management and operation all along the aircraft lifecycle, acting together for safe & sustainable aerospace. This is achieved thanks to a wide range of customer centric and value-added services. Airbus is well positioned to answer today’s and future services needs in order to support the industry. Here are some examples: – – Airbus Beluga Transport, an Airbus airline specialised service on oversized cargo transportation, was granted with its Air Operator Certificate to operate as an autonomous freight airline. – –Satair has established a legal entity, Satair (Chengdu) Co., Ltd, in China. The creation of this new legal entity supports Satair’s commercial strategy of ramping up Used Serviceable Material (USM) growth and localising services to support the substantial growth expected in both the Chinese and global commercial aviation USM markets (with 40% growth expected worldwide through 2027). – –EasyJet has become the first airline in the world to sign a contract with Airbus for its carbon-removal initiative. The Company believes that direct air carbon capture and storage (DACCS) is a high-potential technology that could turn out to be meaningful in carbon schemes applicable to aviation. – –Vietnam Airlines has taken a significant step towards maintaining safety, enhancing sustainability and operational efficiency in its engineering operations by signing for the Airbus Skywise Predictive Maintenance (SPM) digital solution. The long-term agreement covers up to 65 A321 Family aircraft (A321ceo and A321neo), and represents a key milestone in the ongoing digital transformation of Vietnam Airlines. – –Air France and Airbus are in exclusive negotiations to establish a joint venture for the provision on a worldwide basis of Airbus A350 component maintenance services. – – 52% of Airbus in service fleet is connected to Skywise core (149 Operators, 51,67% of Airbus A/Cs with 7,038 A/Cs, +972 A/Cs compared to end of 2022). In 2024, the priority of Customer Services will be supporting its customers to face increasing air transport demand in a competitive way. To do so, a range of solutions are available to help reduce customers´ operating costs, increase aircraft availability, and enhance the quality of their operations and passenger experience. With a worldwide network of 7,500 employees (including subsidiaries) made up of hundreds of technical specialists who provide Airbus’ customers with advice and assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week; 260 field service representatives positioned in over 60 countries for on-site assistance to our operators and a system of empowered local teams in Asia, Africa, China the Middle East and the US; Airbus targets to remain at the forefront of the industry.
To succeed in this context, Customer Services will continue working on the transformation plan based on three pillars (customer value, customer experience and sustainability) through optimisation and simplification of our products and further industrialisation of activities to decrease costs and increase efficiency; aiming to become a relevant contributor to the financial success of Airbus. Aircraft Leasing Trading and Financing Airbus favours cash sales, and does not envisage customer financing as an area of business development. However, Airbus recognises the commercial need for manufacturers to assist customers in arranging financing of new aircraft purchases, and in certain cases to also participate in the financing, particularly during a time of crisis. Extension of credit or assumption of exposure is subject to corporate oversight and monitoring, and follows strict standards of discipline and caution. Airbus’ dedicated customer finance team has accumulated decades of expertise in aircraft finance. When Airbus finances a customer, the financed aircraft generally serves as collateral, with the engine manufacturer participating in the financing. These elements assist in reducing the risk borne by Airbus. The difference between the gross exposure resulting from the financing and the collateral value is fully provisioned for (for further information, please refer to the “Notes to the IFRS Consolidated Financial Statements – Note 27: Sales Financing Transactions”). Airbus’ customer financing transactions are designed to facilitate subsequent sell-down of the exposure to the financial markets, third-party lenders or lessors. In 2023, Airbus continued to benefit from market appetite for both aircraft financing and sale and leaseback lessor opportunities, supported by a sustained level of liquidity available in the market. Airbus customer financing exposure remained limited, as it has done throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and has actually decreased compared to 2019. Airbus will continue to provide direct aircraft financing support as it deems necessary. Management believes, based on its experience, that the level of provisioning protecting Airbus from default costs is adequate and consistent with standards and practice in the aircraft financing industry. See “Risk Factors – Business and Operations-related Risks – Sales Financing Arrangements”. Trading activity has not changed substantially and it continues to consist mainly in (i) supporting new aircraft sales campaigns through the trading (cradle to grave) and the placement of all types of used aircraft (for cash or lease), (ii) assisting Airbus entities/internal departments in finding/placing aircraft assets on the market (iii) managing and assisting in the remarketing of inventory aircraft and (iv) acting as remarketing agent for an airline/financier to remarket its aircraft. Trading activity also involves the sell down of leases, loans (secured and unsecured) and design of structured lease solutions with customers’ credits.
43 Airbus Annual Report
Universal Registration Document 2023
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