Airbus said it saw a more than 10 percent rise in deliveries in 2023, meaning the aircraft maker maintained the top manufacturing spot against rival Boeing for a consecutive fifth year.
The European aerospace firm said in a Jan. 11 press release that it delivered 735 commercial aircraft to 87 customers around the world in 2023, marking an 11 percent increase from 2022, and leaving its order backlog at 8,598 planes, despite what it called a “complex operating environment.”
CEO Guillaume Faury called the record orders “a remarkable achievement,” adding that 2023 was a “landmark year for Airbus’ Commercial Aircraft business with exceptional sales and deliveries on the upper end of our target.”
“A number of factors came together to help us achieve our goals, including the increased flexibility and capability of our global industrial system, as well as the strong demand from airlines to refresh their fleets with our most modern and fuel-efficient aircraft,” the CEO said.
The increase in Airbus deliveries came as a surprise to the planemaker, which expected a slower recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing supply chain issues.
“We originally anticipated aviation to recover sometime in the 2023–2025 timeframe, but what we saw in 2023 was, alongside the single-aisle market, widebody return much sooner than expected, and with vigor,” said Christian Scherer, who became CEO of commercial aircraft at Airbus in January of this year.
Boeing Under Scrutiny
Airbus also noted there are now 735 more fuel-efficient Airbus jets flying today, which the company said is passing the way to a lower carbon-emissions future.”“It’s the orders we win today that will support us in investing in innovative and even more sustainable solutions tomorrow,” Mr. Scherer added.
Speaking at a press conference Thursday, CEO Faury said he is confident the company will meet a delivery target of 75 A320neo family jets being assembled a month in 2026.
However, he added that he does not believe that Airbus would recapture its record delivery levels in 2018 of around 870 planes as early as this year, citing supply chain issues.
“The situation in the supply chain is still tense. It’s improving, it’s getting better, but we are also flying higher as we continue to ramp up in 2024,” Mr. Faury said.
Airbus is set to publish its 2023 full-year Financial Results on Feb. 15, 2024.
Its latest performance report comes as rival Boeing has come under scrutiny following the grounding of its 737 MAX after the door plug of an Alaska Airlines-operated flight blew off last week shortly after take off.
Boeing said on Tuesday that it had delivered 528 aircraft in 2023, including 396 Boeing 737 jets and 73 Dreamliners, and booked 1,314 net new orders after allowing for cancellations; up from 2022 and marking its highest annual sales total in nearly a decade but still significantly lagging behind Airbus.
