Airbus, Boeing and McDonnell Douglas (MDC)saw jet-airliner orders climb comfortably above the 1,000 mark in 1996, giving the big three aircraft builders their best year since the bonanza of the late 1980s. Production rates are also on the rise and due to hit record levels within the next two to three years.
Over the year, 1,089 new aircraft were ordered, although that came down a little to a net figure of just under 900 after removing order cancellations and swaps. The figure is still below the peak of 1989, when order intake reached an unprecedented high of around 1,500, but represents a dramatic turnaround from the miserable performances of the past five years.
The 1996 order announcements have provoked the usual spat over market share claims between Airbus and Boeing. Excluding the small regional-jet manufacturers, the raw figures give Boeing 62% of net orders for the year with Airbus taking one-third, which is close to the average for the past few years.
MDC continued to lag, with only 4%of orders, although it still holds an order backlog of nearly 200 aircraft. Boeing Commercial Airplane Group president Ron Woodard admits that his company's pending acquisition of rival MDC is not expected to have a major impact on market share. He adds that Boeing's goal is to achieve a steady two-thirds share.
In terms of order value, Boeing is already close to its target, netting orders worth close to $43 billion out of an estimated total of just under $66 billion, giving it around 65%of the market against just under 32% for Airbus.
The Boeing figures were boosted by a flurry of activity in December, which added 87 orders, including confirmation of Asiana's 15 777s, some 20 narrowbody orders from leasing companies and a 747-400 sale to Virgin Atlantic Airways. Over the year, Boeing's tally of new business was also swelled by massive long-term orders from American Airlines and GE Capital, both of which topped the 100-aircraft mark.
The big numbers came from the new-generation Boeing 737 programme, which netted nearly 300 orders. Even with more than 100 cancellations on the existing 737, led by Delta Air Lines , the overall numbers represent a boom. Airbus also netted a healthy 220 orders for its A319/320/321 narrowbodies, deliveries of which drew almost level with those of the 737. Perhaps better news came from a return of orders for the A330/340.
Total deliveries edged up to just below 400 aircraft in 1996 and are now climbing rapidly. Airbus predicts production of 183 aircraft this year and around 220 in 1998, bringing the European consortium up to its existing capacity limits.
On the basis of announced production rate increases, Boeing would also climb back to record output levels of around 450 aircraft. Assuming that MDC continues to work off its backlog for another two years, that would take combined annual output to 720 aircraft by 1998.
Source: Flight International
