Airbus’ commercial aircraft deliveries in 2016 were up for the 14th year in a row, reaching a new company record of 688 aircraft delivered to 82 customers, the airplane maker said.
Deliveries were more than 8% higher than the previous record of 635 set in 2015. These included 545 single-aisle A320 Family of which 68 were A320neo, 66 A330s, 49 A350 XWBs, and 28 A380s. Over 40% of single-aisle deliveries were the larger A321 models.
Airbus achieved 731 net orders from 51 customers of which eight are new. These included 607 single-aisle and 124 wide-body aircraft. At the end of 2016, Airbus’ overall backlog stood at 6,874 aircraft valued at US$1,018 billion at list prices.
Said Fabrice Brégier, president of Airbus Commercial Aircraft and group chief operating officer: “Airbus Commercial Aircraft enters 2017 on a strong competitive footing, having met the 2016 jetliner delivery goals and logging an order volume last year that exceeded the year’s target and raised backlog to a new industry record; all while positioning itself as a more efficient, innovative company offering a broader range of services to customers.”
Looking to the future, Brégier said the company integration at Airbus will strengthen its position as an aerospace industry leader, reflecting an environment that is being reshaped by tougher competition, the digital technology revolution, and higher shareholder expectations.
“We made the decision to streamline our company by merging Airbus–the commercial aircraft manufacturing division—with Airbus Group, our parent company,” he explained. “The result will be a leaner, less complex organization that is united under a single brand: ‘Airbus.’”
Expanding into aviation services
Included in Airbus’ future business focus is the commercial aviation services market, which could be worth some US$3 trillion over the next two decades, Brégier noted. Airbus Services saw strong market demand in 2016 that fueled a double-digit growing revenue stream across all business lines. “This is why Airbus looks to expand the range of services it offers, leveraging our innovative digital capabilities—especially in the predictive maintenance domain,” he added.
Brégier said the overall emphasis on digital innovation will remain a priority for the company, with Airbus becoming more systematic in using digital technology. “We must harness the revolution in digital technology,” he said.
Price hike
Meanwhile, the company announced it has increased the average list prices of its aircraft by 1% across the product line, effective from January 1, 2017.
“This price increase has been calculated according to Airbus’ standard escalation formula over the January 2016 to January 2017 period and takes into account the materials and commodities prices,” it said.
Photo courtesy of Airbus/Photo by H. Gousse / master films
