Airbus has won the order battle with Boeing in the third quarter, as sales for the year to date slump by 40% compared to 2001.
Airbus secured 43 sales from July to September, against its rival's 18 orders. Boeing still heads the rankings in total sales for the year, with 184 orders against the 150 taken so far by Airbus. The year-to-date order intake of 334 is 40% lower than the 557 sales during the first nine months of 2001.
Boeing delivered 73 aircraft in the third quarter, compared to Airbus's 59, and its total shipments of 295 for the year are 25% greater than its European rival. The two companies' deliveries for the first nine months are down by a fifth, at 514 compared to 628 in quarters one to three of 2001. Airbus expects to deliver around 300 aircraft during the whole year, while Boeing forecasts around 380 deliveries.
The backlog is down since mid-2002 to 2,705 aircraft, with Airbus holding the bigger share (55%).
Source: Flight International
