Airbus is plane-maker No.1

Airbus logs more aircraft orders than Boeing in 2005

BY A CORRESPONDENT
17th January 2006

Airbus has beaten Boeing. Again.

The European aircraft manufacturer Airbus said on Tuesday that it has clocked 1055 orders in 2005, as against 1002 orders logged by Boeing. The margin, at 33 planes, is too close.

At the time Boeing declared its numbers, it still had a lead over Airbus. But the final figures from Airbus have simply underlined its leadership in the aircraft market.

Most of the Airbus orders have been for single-aisle aircraft. There were 166 orders for A330s, A340s, and A350s. A380 clocked 20 orders in 2005 A300 freighters seven.

Airbus said that the backlog of 2177 aircraft, estimated at 220 billion euro is the highest in the history of the company. Airbus said that its operating margin would be above the target of 10%.

Speaking to the international media in Paris, Gustav Humbert, Airbus President and Chief Operating Officer, declared 2005 a record year for the company.
"The year 2005 was a record year for the industry as a whole and for Airbus in particular. It was a record year in terms of deliveries and production rates, profitability, order intake, both gross and net, backlog and last but not least for our programmes, as the A380 has become a reality and the A350 has been launched," he said.

Humbert added: "Airlines have never ever placed so many orders, a sign that they are very optimistic about the future of air transportation, with also a lot of new carriers emerging and bringing cheap air travel to an increasing number of consumers. But it also reflects the need for more modern equipment to face the rising fuel prices."

Humbert conceded that rival Boeing has won the battle for long-haul planes. Boeing had 55% of this market. Now, Airbus is eyeing 50% of this market within two years. Airbus head honchos have signalled that the A340 may be reviewed, which posted paltry sales. Its rival Boeing 777, meanwhile, got 154 orders. Said chief executive Gustav Humbert: "This is not a major crisis... but we can do better in this area."

Booming air travel has helped both Airbus and Boeing post major sales milestones in 2005. According to Airbus, increasing profitability is one of the major priorities in 2006.

The Airbus sales figures came as a surprise for many analysts, who had concluded that Boeing was the 2005 winner.

Airbus is owned 80% by EADS and 20% by BAE Systems.