Airbus (EADSY 1.48%) on Monday released its final tally of plane orders delivered in 2013, a week after archrival Boeing (BA 2.06%) announced corresponding numbers. The upshot: Boeing beat Airbus. Even as airbus set new records in orders, deliveries, and backlog.
Over the course of 12 months, Airbus increased deliveries by 6% from 2012 levels, delivering a new record of 626 aircraft. Boeing delivered 648 planes in the year.
Airbus reported that it exceeded commercial targets in 2013 by delivering:
- 493 A320 Family aircraft
- 108 A330s
- 25 A380s.
This was the 12th year in a row that Airbus posted increasing numbers of planes delivered. The company noted that despite lagging Boeing in deliveries for two years in a row now, as of year-end Airbus is still officially the biggest plane maker in the world for aircraft of 100 seats and larger, commanding 51% of gross market share.
On the military side of the company, Airbus confirmed that Airbus Military delivered 31 aircraft in 2013, including seven A330 MRTT aerial refueling tankers and two A400M transports that were all bought by the French air force.
Airbus said it set a new industry record of 1,619 gross orders and that by year's end backlog had climbed to an industry-wide record of 5,559 aircraft, or eight years production
