Although order book levels are considered to be very much higher than usual, activity in the aeronautics sector in France (almost 7% of industrial value added) is still lagging behind its pre-crisis level. On average over 2023, the sector’s Industrial Production Index was around 25% below its 2019 level. Meanwhile, exports by value as measured by customs are 13% down on the pre-crisis level, with a difference of 25% for the assembled planes segment alone. Supply constraints generated by the economic recovery coming out of the health crisis have certainly significantly delayed recovery in the sector.

However, employment in the aeronautics sector is doing more than simply holding up. In 2023, it was 7% higher than in 2019. This difference between employment and production reflects a drop in apparent labour productivity. However, employment has evolved in very different ways, depending on socio-professional category: employment of managers has been particularly dynamic while the rest of employment has fallen back since 2019, in the wake of industrial activity.

For an international comparison, performance in the German aeronautics industry also appears to have deteriorated: however, aircraft assembly is doing better here than in France, despite the presence of the same integrated European aircraft manufacturer, Airbus, in both countries. This is a consequence of the specialisation of Airbus assembly lines, which is not currently favourable for France: in fact, the decline in Airbus deliveries compared to 2019 has been more pronounced for the types of aircraft assembled only in France (the A330 and A350 family, as assembly of the A380 has now ceased), with recovery more buoyant for single-aisle aircraft, which are assembled for the most part in Germany. Across the whole of the aeronautics sector, however, French exports deteriorated less than in Germany in 2023, due to the good performance of French engine manufacturers. On a global scale, the difficulties encountered by French and German industries are an exception: aeronautical exports have returned to levels close to those of 2019 in most other major producing countries, especially in North America.

In 2024, supply chain constraints are expected to continue to e ase in France: production and exports should therefore be very dynamic, making it possible to regain a large part of the ground lost since 2019 in terms of activity and doubtless productivity.