Aviation component maker FACC said on Wednesday (17 August) that it posted 12.5 percent year-on-year revenue growth in the first half of 2022 with revenues of 270.1 million euros.
Owing to the positive development of the aviation industry, the demand for new and more efficient aircraft is again increasing significantly. FACC said it is able to benefit from this trend due to its long-term supply contracts with all aircraft and engine manufacturers, and anticipates a continuous increase in demand: with orders for around 13,000 aircraft from all major manufacturers as well as a major order from Archer Aviation, all signs are pointing to growth. With the start-up of the new plant in Croatia, the course was set at an early stage to meet future higher demand. Since the beginning of the year, 200 new members of staff have been hired throughout the group, and the workforce will be increased by another 500 employees in the next 12 to 18 months.
The military conflict between Russia and Ukraine has had no direct impact on FACC, the company said. The company does not procure materials or services from either of the two countries, and prior to the imposition of sanctions against Russia, product sales with Russian aircraft were low at around 1 million euros per year. The supply of FACC components to Russian customers has now been suspended. Back in March 2022, shortly after the outbreak of the conflict, investments were initiated to become completely independent of natural gas supplies, enabling manufacturing operations without the use of natural gas in the coming months. Overall, fossil fuels account for 18 percent of FACC’s energy mix. As the company has been committed to sustainable energy management for years, the use of geothermal energy and green electricity has become a key strategic advantage for FACC. By 2040, the company’s entire production will be CO2-neutral.
In spite of the challenging global environment, the outlook for the second half of 2022 remains unchanged given the current order situation. For the full year, management expects revenue growth of approximately 10 percent and a tripling of operating EBIT compared to the previous year. This forecast is supported by the positive development in aviation:
- Short- and medium-haul air traffic volumes are expected to return to the levels of 2019 in 2023.
- Intercontinental air traffic is also recovering as forecast.
- The development of aircraft construction rates for the Airbus A320 is very satisfactory. Over the next 18 months, demand is set to increase by a further 20 percent, with FACC benefiting strongly from this development as 30 percent of FACC’s sales are generated with this aircraft.
- Another favourable development is the completion of the flight test program of the Chinese C919 medium-haul aircraft with a capacity of up to 150 passengers. C919 type certification, and thus also the start of series production, will take place by the end of the year. For the C919, FACC is supplying the entire passenger cabin as well as wing components and fuel-saving winglets.