Airbus' 2013 plane deliveries reach company record
Source:aircargoworld 2014-1-15 10:33:00
Airbus achieved a new record in 2013 of 626 aircraft deliveries (493 A320 family aircraft, 108 A330, 25 A380) to 93 customers and a new industry record of 1,619 gross orders, beating the previous record in 2011 by 11 aircraft. The year was also Airbus’ most valuable gross order intake. By the end of the year, the backlog had climbed to an industry-wide record of 5,559 aircraft, valued at US$ 809 billion (592.8 billion euros). Aircraft deliveries in 2013 were up for the 12th year in a row, beating the initial target and surpassing the previous record set in 2012 by an additional 38 aircraft. By the end of 2013, Airbus commanded 51 percent gross market share for aircraft above 100 seats. Decisions by customers to move toward larger aircraft in all segments are having a positive effect on revenues. Test flights for the A350 XWB are progressing well with two aircraft having accomplished more than 800 flight hours. Certification is targeted for the third quarter of 2014 and entry-into-service for the fourth quarter. Airbus hired about 3,000 people in 2013. “I thank the Airbus teams for these great achievements. The transformation of our company into a simpler, more agile and faster one is clearly taking shape. We are producing aircraft at all-time-highs and selling our market leading products at record levels,” Fabrice Bregier, Airbus president and CEO, said. “These benchmark results are feeding nicely into our profitability targets, and I am proud to report that the trajectory is showing strongly upwards. To expand our leadership in single aisles and wide-bodies, 2014 will be significant with the first flight of the A320neo and the entry-into-service of the A350 XWB.”