A Good Year for Airbus

Record deliveries and a strong order intake marked a robust 2016 for Airbus.  At the company’s annual year-end briefing it revealed it had delivered 688 aircraft to 82 customers, a new record.  This is 53 more  than the previous record of 635 set in 2015.  The single-aisle A320 Family accounted for 85% of the total with 545 deliveries (including 68 A320neos).  Over 40% of Airbus’ total deliveries were for the A321 model.  In the widebody market, Airbus handed over 66 A330s, 49 A350 XWB (one short of the manufacturer’s target) and 28 A380s.  

Meanwhile, it achieved 731 net orders from 51 customers, split between 607 single-aisle and 124 widebody aircraft.  At the end of 2016, Airbus’ overall backlog stood at 6,874 aircraft valued at $1,018bn at list prices.

Fabrice Brégier, President of Airbus Commercial Aircraft and Chief Operating Officer of Airbus, remarked: “We have delivered on our objectives in a challenging environment, proving our ramp-up readiness for the future.”  He went on to highlight some of the notable milestones the company achieved during 2016 including the delivery of Airbus’ 10,000th aeroplane and the first flight of the A350-1000.  It also commenced deliveries of both engine variants of the A320neo, while the Pratt & Whitney powered A321neo was certified and the first US-assembled aircraft were delivered from its final assembly line in Mobile, Alabama.

Looking forward to 2017 the European manufacturer revealed it has raised the average list prices for its aircraft by 1% across its entire commercial product line, effective from January 1.  It says the increase has been calculated per its standard escalation formula that considers the prices of materials and commodities.

John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer – Customers, Airbus Commercial Aircraft remarked: “Our new 2017 pricing affirms the value of Airbus’s modern comprehensive and fuel-efficient aircraft family.  The price increase also reflects our customers’ satisfaction with the winning combination of performance, operating economics and passenger experience.”