Airbus surpasses Boeing on orders, closes gap on deliveries

TOULOUSE: Airbus yesterday said it had outstripped its own delivery expectations in 2016, closing the gap with Boeing, and beat its US archrival on orders.

The European aerospace company said it delivered a record 688 commercial planes, beating its own target which was raised in November from 650 to 670.

The figures were lifted by a lastminute surge in December when it handed over 111 aircraft.

It also booked a total of 731 net orders, beating Boeing but showing a significant drop of nearly a third on the previous year, when it logged demand for 1,036 aircraft.

Last week, Boeing confirmed orders of 668 planes throughout the year, down 13% on 2015 when net orders reached 768.

Airbus chief executive Fabrice Bregier said: “2016 was a year in which we managed to not only achieve our objectives but to surpass them.”

It was the 14th consecutive year in which the firm chalked up record deliveries.

Deliveries rebounded at the yearend after problems in the supply chain.

Although it remains behind Boeing, which saw deliveries fell modestly to 748 in 2016, the European group is closing the gap.

Delivery figures are of interest to analysts and investors as it is at that stage when manufacturers receive the bulk of payment.

In a separate development, the head of IranAir yesterday took delivery of the first new Western jet under an international sanctions deal, calling it a “sunny day” for peace and friendship between Iran and Europe and a memorable one for aviation in the nation of 80 million people.

IranAir chairman Farhad Parvaresh invited the planemaking chief of Airbus to fly onboard the new A321, which has been painted in IranAir’s livery, to Tehran where the airline plans to mark its arrival in its fleet with a ceremony today.

The 189-seat plane is the first of 100 ordered from Airbus following a deal reached in 2015 between Tehran and world powers to lift nuclear-related sanctions against Iran, in return for restrictions on the country’s nuclear activities.

The airline has also ordered 80 aircraft from Boeing and is expected to seal an order for 20 turboprops from Europe’s ATR. – AFP, Reuters