It also reported that, in spite of ongoing issues with the supply chain, it delivered 735 planes to customers last year, exceeding its own goal of 720 deliveries.
Paris: As airlines get ready for even more growth in passenger numbers worldwide and search for more fuel-efficient aircraft, European plane maker Airbus announced on Thursday that it had won 2,094 net plane orders last year, a record for the group.
The company also said that it exceeded its own goal of 720 deliveries by delivering 735 jets to customers last year, despite ongoing issues with the supply chain.
With the new orders, Airbus broke its previous record of 1,503 aircraft from 2013. The airline is still benefiting from the popularity of its A320 family for short-haul travel and the A350 for long-haul travel.
Following the Covid-19 pandemic, commercial head Christian Scherer stated in a statement, “We originally anticipated aviation to recover sometime in the 2023-2025 timeframe, but what we saw in 2023 was, alongside the single-aisle market, widebody return much sooner than expected, and with vigor.”
Significant contracts were signed with airlines such as Turkish Airlines (230 jets), Air India (250 planes), and India’s low-cost carrier IndiGo (500 planes), the largest order in civil aviation history.
“In any given year, we have never sold as many A320s or A350s… There is significant momentum and travel is back,” he stated.
At the conclusion of the previous year, the business had 8,598 aircraft in its entire order backlog.
In the latter half of the 2030s, Airbus started developing a replacement for the well-liked A320 family. By 2035, the company hopes to have a hydrogen-powered aircraft that emits no carbon dioxide.
The performance exceeded that of its US competitor Boeing, which is currently under close examination for its new 737 MAX aircraft following an emergency landing on an Alaska Airlines aircraft last week due to a fuselage panel that fell off in midair.
Additionally, Boeing experienced an increase in net orders to 1,314 aircraft last year, primarily for its long-haul 787s but also primarily for the 737 MAX.
