AIRBUS said Monday, January 10, 2022 that it delivered 611 passenger jets in 2021, an eight percent increase over 2020 but an indication that airlines are still cautious about adding new planes during a pandemic that has reduced travel worldwide.
More than three-quarters of last year’s deliveries were for planes in Airbus’ A320 family, which are mostly used for short and medium-length flights. Deliveries of wide-body, two-aisle planes continued to lag, reflecting the much slower recovery in international flights.
Airbus entered December with a large lead over Boeing in deliveries, as Boeing halted deliveries of its 787 jetliner because of production flaws and struggled to boost output of 737 Max jets. Boeing began December with more orders, but Airbus ended the year with a flurry of sales to make that a close race.
Airbus, based in Toulouse, France, said it took in a net of 507 orders last year after subtracting cancellations. Gross orders before cancellations were roughly double its year-earlier total.
Most were for planes in the A320neo group of single-aisle planes. The company said it ended last year with a backlog of 7,082 aircraft on order.
Chief executive officer Guillaume Faury said the orders indicated that airlines are confident about the growth of air travel after Covid-19.
He said “while uncertainties remain,” Airbus is on track to raise production rates through this year. (AP)