More orders, strong backlog and another record year for Airbus deliveries
A total of 1,492 commercial aircraft net orders were placed during the year 2010, a much higher number compared to the previous year when only 587 aircraft were ordered. The year showed an increase in orders for each market group as narrowbody, widebody, regional jet and turboprop aircraft orders each recorded numbers of 927, 212, 232 and 121 respectively.
The year 2010 was also a strong year for aircraft deliveries, and particularly for Airbus which again ended the year with a record total. The order backlog by year-end was also greater than the year before with an increase of 4%.
Net orders
Airbus emerged as the leader in the 2010 order battle with 566 net orders for the year, closely followed by Boeing with 533. The record high of net orders during a year occurred in 2007 when it stood at 3,277. In the regional market, Comac took in 102 orders for its ARJ21, Embraer totalled 86, ATR 79 and Bombardier 55. Russian manufacturer Sukhoi received 30 Superjet 100 orders and there was a single order for Ruag’s Do 228NG.
Narrowbody net orders increased by 118% on the previous year totalling 927 for 2010. Boeing lead with 486 orders, followed by Airbus with 401. Bombardier also received 40 orders for its Cseries. Airbus suffered 47 A320 family cancellations while Boeing counted 16 cancellations for the 737.
Widebody net orders came in at 212, a massive increase compared with the previous year total of 28. Airbus received 165 orders and Boeing 47. Widebody cancellations included 36 Airbus and 71 Boeing aircraft.
There were a total of 232 net orders for regional jets during the year compared to the turboprop market figure of 121. Embraer suffered 12 cancellations and Bombardier only two.
| Airliner market 10 years view - net orders |
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Air Lease Corporation was responsible for the largest number of orders during the year as the US-based lessor ordered a total of 130 aircraft (54 737s, 31 A320s, 20 A321s, 15 E-190s and 10 ATR72s). In China, investment company AVIC International ordered 100 Comac ARJ21s when the agreement took place in November at the Zhuhai Air Show. The GECAS net order stood at 100 aircraft for the year with orders of 60 A320s and 40 737s as well as the swap of six A319s for A320s.
Middle East carrier Emirates re-confirmed its faith in the A380 during the year with a top-up order for 32 aircraft, taking its total commitment to 90, as well as ordering 30 777s. In December, low-cost carrier Virgin America placed a substantial order of 60 A320s, 30 of which are the A320neo. China’s CASGC ordered 50 A320 family aircraft (five A319s, 27 A320s and 18 A321s) as well as six A330s during the year. LAN Airlines who will merge with TAM in 2011 ordered 50 A320 aircraft (two A319s, 38 A320s and ten A321s) and a single 777 for its subsidiary LAN Cargo.
Russian Technologies ordered 50 737s which are destined to be leased by Aeroflot who also directly ordered 11 A330s. Before the merger with Continental, United Airlines ordered 25 A350s and 25 787s, while Republic Airways Holding ordered 40 CSeries which will be operated by its subsidiary Republic Airlines.
Indian low-cost carrier SpiceJet placed orders for 30 737s and 15 Dash-8s during the year. Australia’s Virgin Blue Airlines ordered 41 737s, cancelled two 777s while an additional 737 was ordered by DAE Capital which will be operated by Virgin Blue.
Lufthansa ordered 19 A320s, eight CRJs and three A330s as well as swapping six E-190s for E-195s, plus an additional order of eight E-195s.
In July 2010, Dubai lessor DAE Capital cancelled $8 billion worth of orders from its backlog with a total of 50 aircraft, an equal split of Airbus and Boeing aircraft (18 A320s, seven A350s, 15 787s and ten 777-300ERs). Boeing was the worst affected by value, having shed over $5 billion worth of business at list price.
Deliveries: record year for Airbus
Commercial deliveries in the year 2010 totalled 1,177, another strong year following the record high of 1,244 deliveries in 2009. The record figure of 753 narrowbody deliveries in 2009 was closely followed in 2010 with 749. Widebody deliveries totalled 188 in 2010, only eight less than in the previous year. Regional jet and turboprop deliveries totalled 131 and 109 respectively.
Airbus delivered a total of 491 aircraft in 2010, an all-time record year for the manufacturer who has been consistently beating their previous records six years in a row. A total of 388 A320 family aircraft were delivered, along with widebody deliveries for 84 A330s, two A340s and 17 A380s.
Boeing totalled 446 deliveries, 23 less than in 2009. The manufacturer delivered 361 737s as well as 12 767s and 73 777s. In the regional market, Embraer, Bombardier and ATR delivered 92, 86 and 50 aircraft respectively.
| Airliner market 10 years view - deliveries |
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Order backlog on 31 December 2010
Airliner backlog ended the year 2010 at 8,001, up 324 on the previous year. The record highest point for commercial aircraft backlog was at the end of 2008 where it stood at 8,332.
The year 2010 ended with China's central purchasing arm CASGC at the top of the backlog by customer listing with 239 aircraft, consisting of 233 A320 family aircraft and six A330s. A total of 40 aircraft from CASGC’s backlog is destined to go to Air China who also purchased an additional 114 aircraft cumulating its backlog at 154.
From an operator level, Emirates lead the backlog ranking with 214 aircraft from which 193 have been purchased directly by the airline. International carriers Aeroflot and Kingfisher Airlines showed order backlogs of 148 and 130 respectively.
Qantas’ backlog stood at 142, from which 59 aircraft will be operated by its low-cost subsidiary Jetstar Airways. With 139 and 137 respectively, Lion Airlines and Qatar Airways are also showing strong backlog for aircraft that, in each case, all have been purchased by the carriers.
Lessors GECAS, DAE Capital and Air Lease Corporation showed backlog figures of 181, 163 and 130 respectively.
| Airliner market 10 years view - backlog |
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This article was put together by Flightglobal Insight using the ACAS database.
Note: The analysis is for passenger, freighter, combi and quick change aircraft.
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Source: Commercial Aviation Online
