European plane maker Airbus has logged a new delivery record for its commercial aircraft segment – not enough, though, to beat US rival Boeing. 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 around the globe in 2016.
The company said the figure was more than eight percent higher than the previous record of 635 set in 2015.
Eternal rivalry
Orders in 2016 outstripped those of its main rival in the US, with a total of 731 logged last year, 63 more than Boeing recorded. By contrast, Boeing came out on top of the deliveries table with a total of 748 planes supplied to customers in 2016.
“We delivered on our objectives in a challenging environment, proving our ramp-up readiness for the future,” Airbus President Fabrice Bregier said in a statement.
He also noted that Airbus was delivering an A321 to Iran Air, the first of 100 planes the company would send to Iran under a deal to modernize Iran’s aging fleet. The contract had become possible after a 2015 international accord with Tehran on its nuclear program that saw many sanctions against the country lifted.
Iran has also ordered planes from Boeing in a bid to diversify its base of suppliers and get the best deals from both sides.
Sources; Airbus & Reuters
