Archive:International trade in aircraft
This Statistics Explained article has been archived - for recent articles on International trade in goods see here.
Data extracted in March 2022.
Planned article update: April 2023.
Highlights
Exports of aircraft to countries outside the EU increased from €26 billion in 2002 to €37 billion in 2021.
In Ireland 40 % of total imports from countries outside the EU were aircraft.
France was the largest exporter of aircraft (€18 billion, 49 % of EU total) in 2021.
This article is part of an online publication providing recent statistics on international trade in goods, covering information on the EU's main partners, main products traded, specific characteristics of trade as well as background information.
Full article
Aircraft exports peaked in 2019
In 2021, the EU exported €37 billion worth of aircraft[1], which was more than in 2002. Due to falling exports of American competitors, EU exports peaked in 2019 at €56 billion. However, in 2021, exports dropped considerably due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Imports in 2021, amounted to €14 billion, which was €5 billion less than in 2002. This gave the EU a trade surplus of €23 billion in 2021. The value of extra-EU trade in aircraft increased by an average of 0.7 % per year between 2002 and 2021, with exports (+1.8 %) growing but imports (-1.4 %) falling.
In 2002, the share of aircraft in total extra EU exports of goods was 2.7 % (Figure 2). This share dropped to 1.8 % in 2007 and peaked at 3.0 % in 2016 and then dropped to 1.7 % in 2020 and 2021. The share of aircraft in total extra EU imports of goods was 2.0 % in 2002. It dropped to 0.6 % in 2006, hovering around 1 % ever since, reaching 0.7 % in 2021.
The United States was the EU's biggest partner in trade of aircraft in 2021
In 2021, the United States (69 %) was by far the main origin of extra-EU imports, ahead of Canada (13 %) which was the only other origin with a double digit share (Figure 3). Together the top six made up 91 % of all extra-EU imports of aircraft.
In 2021, China was the main export destination of EU's aircraft (19 % of the total), ahead of the United States (11 %) and India (10 %). The top six partners made up 57 % of extra-EU exports of aircraft.
Between 2002 and 2010, exports of aircraft to the United States fell from €9.2 billion to €3.5 billion (Figure 4). In 2015 they peaked at €10.2 billion but by 2021 exports had fallen to €4.0 billion.
With some ups and downs, imports of aircraft from the United States grew from €12.1 billion in 2002 to €15.2 billion in 2017 but by 2021 had dropped to €9.9 billion.
During the whole period, the EU had a trade deficit for aircraft with the United States. It was lowest in 2015 (€0.2 billion), peaking in 2018 (€9.0 billion) and stood at €5.9 billion in 2021.
In 2002, exports of aircraft to China amounted to €1.3 billion, which after some fluctuations peaked at €10.2 billion in 2018 (Figure 5). After that they fell to €6.9 billion in 2021. Imports from China were never above €1 billion. Consequently the evolution of the trade surplus follows exports closely.
In 2002, export of aircraft to India amounted to €0.2 billion in 2002 (Figure 6). In 2007 there was a relative peak of €2.1 billion, but it took until 2017 to surpass that level. In 2018 and 2019 exports peaked at €3.8 and after a drop in 2020, were €3.7 billion in 2021. Imports of aircraft from India where very small and consequently the trade surplus was almost equal to the export values.
The share of extra-EU imports of aircraft in total (meaning intra-EU + extra-EU) imports varied greatly between Member States (Figure 7). It was above 90 % in Hungary and Greece and below 10 % in Cyprus, Denmark, Slovenia, Latvia and Croatia. The average for the EU was 52 %.
The share of extra-EU exports of aircraft in total (meaning intra-EU + extra-EU) exports also varied greatly between Member States (Figure 8). It was above 90 % in Croatia and Finland below 10 % in Sweden, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Luxembourg. The average for the EU was 21 %.
France is the EU's largest exporter of aircraft
Looking at the exports of aircraft by individual Member State, France €18 billion and Germany €14 billion combined, were responsible 88 % of the EU's total exports of aircraft in 2021 (Table 1). In relative terms, exports of aircraft represented 8.2 % of France's and 2.3 % of Germany's total extra-EU exports.
With a trade value of €5.8 billion in 2021, Ireland’s share in total EU imports of aircraft (40.1 %) was the highest of the EU and is closely linked to Ireland being a hub for airplane leasing. Germany (€2.8 billion, 19.5 %) was the only other Member State with imports above € 1 billion. Nineteen Member States had deficits for trade in aircraft in 2021. It was highest in Ireland (€3.6 billion) and the Netherlands (€0.6 billion). The remaining eight Member States had surpluses, which were highest in France (€17.5 billion) and Germany (€11.5 billion).
Source data for tables and graphs
Data source
EU data comes from Eurostat’s COMEXT database.
COMEXT is the Eurostat reference database for international trade in goods. It provides access not only to both recent and historical data from the EU Member States but also to statistics of a significant number of non-EU countries. International trade aggregated and detailed statistics disseminated from Eurostat website are compiled from COMEXT data according to a monthly process. Because COMEXT is updated on a daily basis, data published on the website may differ from data stored in COMEXT in case of recent revisions.
European statistics on international trade in goods are compiled according to the EU concepts and definitions and may, therefore, differ from national data published by Member States.
The United Kingdom is considered as an extra-EU partner country for the EU for the whole period covered by this article. However, the United Kingdom was still part of the internal market until the end of the transitory period (31 December 2020), meaning that data on trade with the United Kingdom are still based on statistical concepts applicable to trade between the EU Member States. Consequently, while imports from any other extra-EU trade partner are grouped by country of origin, the United Kingdom data reflect the country of consignment. In practice this means that the goods imported by the EU from the United Kingdom were physically transported from the United Kingdom but part of these goods could have been of other origin than the United Kingdom. For this reason, data on trade with the United Kingdom are not fully comparable with data on trade with other extra-EU trade partners.
Product classification Powered aircraft correspond to code 8802 of the Harmonized System for product classification. The detailed products belonging to code 8802 are:
- 88021100 Helicopters weighing not more than 2000 kg
- 88021200 Helicopters weighing more than 2000 kg
- 88022000 Aeroplanes weighing not more than 2000 kg
- 88022000 Aeroplanes weighing more than 2000 kg but not more than 15000 kg
- 88022000 Aeroplanes weighing more than 15000 kg
- 88026011 Telecommunication satellites
- 88026019 Other spacecraft
- 88026090 Suborbital and spacecraft launch vehicles
Unit of measure Trade values are expressed in millions of euros. They correspond to the statistical value, i.e. to the amount which would be invoiced in case of sale or purchase at the national border of the reporting country. It is called a FOB value (free on board) for exports and a CIF value (cost, insurance, freight) for imports.
Context
Trade is an important indicator of Europe’s prosperity and place in the world. The bloc is deeply integrated into global markets both for the products it sources and the exports it sells. The EU trade policy is one of the main pillars of the EU’s relations with the rest of the world.
Because the 27 EU Member States share a single market and a single external border, they also have a single trade policy. EU Member States speak and negotiate collectively, both in the World Trade Organization, where the rules of international trade are agreed and enforced, and with individual trading partners. This common policy enables them to speak with one voice in trade negotiations, maximising their impact in such negotiations. This is even more important in a globalised world in which economies tend to cluster together in regional groups.
The openness of the EU’s trade regime has meant that the EU is the biggest player on the global trading scene and remains a good region to do business with. Thanks to the ease of modern transport and communications, it is now easier to produce, buy and sell goods around the world which gives European companies of every size the potential to trade outside Europe.
Direct access to
Main tables
- International trade in goods - long-term indicators (t_ext_go_lti)
- International trade of machinery and transport equipment (SITC 7), by declaring country (tet00009)
- Extra-EU28 trade of machinery and transport equipment (SITC 7), by Member State (tet00059)
- Extra-EU28 trade of machinery and transport equipment (SITC 7), by main partners (tet00030)
- International trade in goods - short-term indicators (t_ext_go_sti)
- Imports of goods - machinery and transport equipment (teiet170)
- Exports of goods - machinery and transport equipment (teiet070)
Database
- International trade in goods - aggregated data (ext_go_agg)
- International trade in goods - detailed data (detail)
Dedicated section
Data visualisations
Methodology
- International trade in goods statistics - background
- International trade in goods (ESMS metadata file — ext_go_agg_esms)
- User guide on European statistics on international trade in goods
Legislation
- Regulation (EC) No 471/2009 of 6 May 2009 on Community statistics relating to external trade with non-member countries
- Summaries of EU Legislation: Extrastat: statistics relating to trade with non-EU countries
- Regulation (EU) No 92/2010 of 2 February 2010 implementing Regulation (EC) No 471/2009, as regards data exchange between customs authorities and national statistical authorities, compilation of statistics and quality assessment
- Regulation (EU) No 113/2010 of 9 February 2010 implementing Regulation (EC) No 471/2009 , as regards trade coverage, definition of the data, compilation of statistics on trade by business characteristics and by invoicing currency, and specific goods or movements.
- ↑ throughout the article the term aircraft is used to denote powered aircraft such as airplanes and helicopters (corresponding to HS-code 8802) but excluding non-powered aircraft such as hot air balloons and hang gliders.