Airbus delivered 534 aircraft and booked 1419 net orders in 2011, cruising past rival Boeing and setting company records in both categories.
The European airliner manufacturer’s haul was led by 1226 firm orders for its A320neo, a fuel efficient update of its popular single aisle A320 Family series set to begin deliveries in 2015. Airbus also reported 122 firm orders for current generation A320s, 53 orders for A330/A350 XWB Family aircraft, and 19 orders for A380 superjumbo jets.
When not adjusted to account for cancellations, Airbus reported gross orders of 1608 aircraft worth US$169 billion at list prices.
US based Boeing, by contrast, earlier reported 2011 totals of 921 gross order, 805 net orders, and 477 deliveries.
Airbus reported a year-end backlog of 4437 commercial aircraft orders valued at more than US$588 billion. The company said it planned to ramp up production toward a target of 570 aircraft deliveries in 2012, though it expects orders to drop by as much as half this year as airlines complete their fleet upgrade plans and hedge against global economic uncertainty.
Deliveries, which topped Airbus’s 2010 record by 24 aircraft, were led by 401 A320 Family aircraft, 87 A330s and 26 A380s.
Airbus said its military division also delivered a record 29 aircraft, including 20 C212, CN235 and C295 transport planes, three P-3 conversions and six A330 MRTTs. The company’s military backlog stood at 222 aircraft, mainly A400Ms.
