On Thursday, Airbus disclosed its record annual jet orders and confirmed an 11 percent growth in the deliveries for 2023, securing its position as the top aircraft manufacturer against rival Boeing for the fifth consecutive year.
As airlines rushed to modernize their fleets last year, Airbus revealed that it secured 2,319 gross orders and 2,094 net orders (after cancellations). Airbus delivered a total of 735 airplanes in 2023, resulting in an order backlog of 8,598 aircraft.
Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said: “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.”
Guillaume Faury expressed confidence that Airbus would achieve its delivery target of 75 A320 jets per month in 2026, with ten assembly lines dedicated to the A320 family.
In comparison, Boeing, recovering from the safety grounding of its 737 MAX and subsequent production issues, reported 528 aircraft deliveries in 2023 and booked 1,314 net new orders after accounting for cancellations.
Christian Scherer, CEO of commercial aircraft at Airbus, highlighted that the aviation industry had rebounded more rapidly than expected from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted a particularly strong recovery in demand for wide-body jets, stating, “Travel is back, and there is serious momentum.”
Scherer emphasized the priority of quickly addressing the backlog and fulfilling the commitment to deliver 8,600 aircraft on time and with high quality.
Meanwhile, Boeing is facing renewed scrutiny over its production processes following a cabin blowout incident that led to a partial new grounding of a specific type of 737 MAX. The company is navigating these challenges amid ongoing supply tensions in the industry, Reuters news report said.
