Airbus beats Boeing with 574 orders in 2010

Commercial plane maker Airbus took 644 aircraft orders worth a total of US$84 billion at list price last year, beating US rival Boeing Co thanks to unexpectedly robust demand from airlines in Asia, the Middle East and emerging market countries, reported Dow Jones Newswires.

For the eighth straight year, Airbus remained the world's leading manufacturer of commercial jets with 100 seats or more in terms of deliveries thanks to a new annual record for deliveries of 510 aircraft compared to Boeing's 462. In 2009, Airbus delivered 498 aircraft.

Airbus had trailed US rival Boeing in the race for orders for most of last year, but a flurry of activity at the end of the year added more than 200 planes to the order tally in December alone.

After taking into account 70 order cancellations, Airbus had 574 net orders worth $74 billion, giving it a 52 percent share of the global market.

The Toulouse, France-based company booked revenue in 2010 of roughly US$40 billion, chief executive Tom Enders said.

Airbus is considering further increases in its production rates to be able to whittle down its massive order backlog that stood at 3,552 aircraft worth an aggregate $480 billion at list price.

Deliveries will continue to rise in 2011, and orders are likely to continue outstripping deliveries, Enders said.
(Source:www.cargonewsasia.com)