Airbus has surpassed its targets for the past year, achieving a record number of widebody airliners delivered and an industry record order backlog of 6,836 aircraft.
Almost 630 Airbus aircraft were delivered during 2014 to 89 global customers, eight of which are new – 490 A320s, 108 A330s, 30 A380s and its first A350 XWB (extra widebody).
Its production rate meant that the manufacturer’s deliveries for the year were up for the 13th year in a row, surpassing the previous record set in 2013.
Airbus’ order book received a boost from 1,456 net orders (comprising 1,321 single aisle aircraft and 135 widebodies) from 67 customers (of which 14 are new) – making 2014 its second best year ever. As a result, by year end, the backlog reached a new industry record of 6,386 aircraft valued at US$174.6bn at current list prices.
“In 2014 we have achieved our second best order intake ever with over 1456 net orders.” F. Brégier #AirbusResults pic.twitter.com/O9Qi4POKP0
— Airbus (@Airbus) January 13, 2015
Among its numerous sales achievements was the A330neo’s success in attracting 120 firm endorsements within just six months of its launch. Another commercial highlight was Delta Air Line’s decision to select the A330neo for its trans-Atlantic services and the A350 for its trans-Pacific routes.
Airbus commented: “Industrially, the clear milestone of the year was the completion of A350 XWB testing and certification culminating in the on-time delivery of the first aircraft for Qatar Airways.
“We also reached our target of delivering 30 A380s while welcoming Asiana, Qatar Airways and Etihad as new operators of this flagship aircraft. And as the A330neo development programme gains momentum, the highly popular A330ceo continues to benefit from our commitment to incremental innovation. Meanwhile, the A320neo programme is proceeding on track following its first flight September 2014, paving the way for certification in Q3 and first deliveries in Q4 [2015].”
