Boeing was soundly beaten by Airbus in both orders and deliveries during the first quarter. But the picture may be slightly skewed, as the US manufacturer has a raft of 787 orders waiting to be firmed up in the coming months and these could swing the balance towards Boeing as the year progresses.
Airbus delivered 87 aircraft in the first quarter, compared with 70 shipments by Boeing. The bulk of the total comprised the two companies' narrowbody models – 66 A320 family aircraft and 54 737s. The Boeing tally also included the penultimate 757 and three 717s.
A total of 164 orders were taken during the first quarter (net of the 24 cancellations recorded), with Airbus securing 118 and Boeing 46. Boeing suffered the bulk of the cancellations (19) largely due to a 14-aircraft downward adjustment on the 717 after the January decision to terminate the programme next year.
Although Boeing only includes eight 787 orders in its first quarter total, it has announced a large number of commitments for the new twinjet in recent months such as Continental Airlines for 10 aircraft, Japan Airlines for 30, Korean Air for 10 and the joint China deal for 60 aircraft.
The companies' combined firm order backlog is almost unchanged since the end of last year, at 2,604. Airbus continues to hold a larger share of the backlog (59%).
MAX KINGSLEY-JONES/LONDON
Source: Flight International
