Airbus may have accepted that it is being beaten by Boeing in sales terms this year, but the European manufacturer is confident it will retain its dominant share of airliner deliveries in the near term.
Airbus concedes that during the first five months of 2005 it has been beaten into second place by Boeing, having taken only 42% (196) of the total firm orders placed.
Airbus chief executive Noel Forgeard explains that Airbus’s stated target of averaging a 50% market share “would mean remaining in the 40-60% band”. He adds: “Let’s wait for the final score of 2005. We’ve been ahead for the last five years and the game is not over for this year. We take the challenge.”
Airbus will retain the output lead it took over Boeing in 2003 this year, with Forgeard confirming that Airbus will deliver “at least 360 aircraft – 40 aircraft more than last year”. This compares with Boeing’s planned 2005 output of 320 aircraft, which was confirmed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes president Alan Mulally.
Forgeard says that Airbus will boost production by at least 10% next year, “which means we should pass the waypoint of 400”. He adds that Airbus is increasing production of single-aisle aircraft to a record 30 units a month next year – with a further boost being studied – while A330/A340 output will increase to eight a month.
Mulally says that Boeing will increase output to 375-385 aircraft in 2006, with next year’s production already 86% sold out. “We will watch this and have more guidance [on production rates] in a couple of months. Production will go up again in 2007.”
Boeing has expressed confidence recently that it will overtake Airbus in output terms by 2008 when deliveries of the 787 kick in.
Source: Flight International
