Una debolezza prospettica, in chiave 2010, dell'industria aereonautica viene tuttativa compensata dalla particolare robustezza del backlog dei produttori.
In aggiunta alla debolezza dell'andamento delle compagnie aeree, qualche ulteriore incertezza dovrebbe derivare della minore disponibilità di finanziamenti per il leasing aeronautico: per sostenere i livelli produttivi previsti per il 2010, occorre la disponibilità di 35-40 mld $ in finanziamenti, e se il contesto macroeconomico non continua a migliorare sensibilmente, non è certo che il denaro ci sia.
Resta robusto invece il flusso di capitali assicurato al comparto dell'aeronautica militare e della difesa dagli ordinativi degli USA (sui livelli massimi raggiunti dopo la seconda guerra mondiale) mentre i budget dei governi europei ed in particolare dell'UK dovrebbero vedere una riduzione.
Moody's: Jet Backlogs, U.S. War Spending Buoy Aerospace and Defense Industry
New York, November 05, 2009 -- The stable outlook for global aerospace and defense anticipates a modest decline in the production of large commercial airplanes in 2010, balanced by robust outlays in U.S. defense spending, said Moody's Investors Service in a new report.
"Orders for commercial airplanes have been very limited throughout the year, consistent with our earlier expectations," said Moody's Senior Vice President Robert Jankowitz. "However, order backlogs are still very large and airplane production levels are high compared to historic output."
Airplane production could come under pressure in 2010 from continued weakness in the airline industry, which is under pressure as it heads into the seasonally weak winter season, although passenger traffic does seem to be firming somewhat, Moody's said.
Aircraft financing could be another headwind. "We estimate a large funding need of $35 billion to $40 billion to support current production expectations for 2010, which could be challenging if economic conditions do not continue to improve steadily," Jankowitz said. Developments in the ownership of the large jet lessors and in their long-term business model will weigh on any stability in airplane production, a situation not likely to be resolved soon.
The defense industry on the other hand, will continue to benefit from robust U.S. defense spending, which is likely to remain near post-World War II highs. However, there is considerable pressure in Europe, particularly in the U.K., where budget challenges are likely to be meaningful, said the report.
A shift in acquisition priorities by the U.S. defense department and budget pressures amid a weak economy inject a note of caution into Moody's assessment of defense spending in the U.S.
For the most part, defense companies should enjoy continued solid cash flow and profits for some time, given the visibility and intent of their major customer, the U.S. government. "Mostly, the bad news in terms of overall cuts in outlays and their impact on specific programs is contained in the 2010 Defense authorization," said Jankowitz.
The full report, titled, "Jet Backlogs, U.S. War Spend Buoy Aerospace, Defense," is available at
OpenDNS.