KAI CEO Kang Goo-young emphasized that this year will be a year of increased investment to strengthen future growth potential for Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI).
KAI announced its 2024 business performance and 2025 business goal guidance to achieve its 2050 vision. Last year, it achieved tentative results (consolidated basis) of 4,902.2 billion won in new orders, 3,633.7 billion won in sales, 240.7 billion won in operating profit, and 170.9 billion won in net profit.
New orders increased by 5.73% compared to the previous year. KAI, which achieved the first export of Surion in the finished aircraft sector last year, achieved 2,584.8 billion won in the structural body sector, a 232.5% increase from the previous year, with large-scale contracts such as eVTOL Pylon and B-737MAX empennage, leading to order performance.
As of the end of 2024, the order backlog increased by approximately 2.9 trillion won from the previous year to 24.7 trillion won, expanding future growth engines.
Sales decreased by 4.9% compared to the previous year. While domestic business and structural body business sales increased by 8.3% and 5.6% respectively year-on-year due to the stable promotion of key development projects and growth in the civil sector, finished aircraft exports decreased relative to 2023, which had a large impact from the delivery of 12 Polish FA-50GFs.
KAI presented its 2025 order and sales guidance as 8,459 billion won and 4,087 billion won, respectively, a 72.6% and 13.6% increase from the previous year's performance (separate basis), and declared an expansion of investment to strengthen future businesses.
In the finished aircraft export business, it plans to continue the momentum of expanding additional export markets for the FA-50 and the effect of the first export of rotary-wing aircraft. In the domestic business, it plans to significantly expand domestic and overseas orders by successfully promoting the remaining 20 units of the KF-21 initial mass production, orders for electronic warfare system development, and the UH-60 performance improvement project.
Sales are expected to exceed 4 trillion won for the first time since its establishment. Solid sales growth is expected as the production of KF-21 and LAH production volume and the Polish FA-50PL and Malaysian FA-50M versions begin in earnest. In the structural body business, sales of nearly 1 trillion won are expected as the recovery of the civil aircraft market continues.
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