Airbus argued underlying deliveries were about the same as Boeing’s, disregarding differences of timing between increases in production of the latest generation of lightweight jets.
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Deliveries are seen by many as a truer reflection of the state of the market and health of an aircraft manufacturer than sales, as airlines do not pay for new jets until they take delivery of them.
The company missed its target for 15 deliveries of the A350 in 2015 by one plane following shortages in cabin equipment.
“This commercial and industrial performance unequivocally proves that global demand for our aircraft has remained resilient”.
Earlier Airbus said its planemaking division grabbed 1,036 net plane orders after cancellations, down 29 percent from 2014, compared with Boeing’s tally of 768, a fall of 46 percent.
Airbus CEO Fabrice Bregier largely shrugged off the recent market turmoil on Tuesday, insisting that his Toulouse, France-based company is sticking to plans for a new facility in Tianjin next month and to its overall strategy in China. Airbus hit a company record of 635 deliveries and predicted over 650 in 2016, with new orders again exceeding deliveries.
Airbus Group SE said it’s stepping up work with airlines to determine whether a bigger variant of the A350 wide-body jetliner would make sense as it seeks to challenge the order success of Boeing Co.’s enlarged 777X. At least 50 planes are expected to be delivered this year.
Virgin Atlantic has said it’s evaluating both the A350 and Boeing’s 777 to replace the Boeing 747s that form the heart of its long-haul leisure operations at London Gatwick airport with more fuel-efficient jets.
The A380, which typically seats about 525 passengers, but can carry over 800 depending on the configuration, has suffered a decline in airline interest as carriers have come to favor somewhat smaller twin-aisle models, including Airbus’s A350 and Boeing’s 777. The deliveries were for 85 customers of which 10 are new.
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“We are increasing production because airlines have voted for more aircraft and have given us their deposits”, he said.
