Airbus beats Boeing with 574 orders in 2010

Europe’s Airbus remained the world’s biggest planemaker in 2010, beating US rival Boeing, and plans to increase new deliveries next year, according to company chairman Tom Enders.

Mr Enders said Airbus had delivered 510 planes last year and won 574 orders, and now planned to deliver between 520 and 530 this year.

“2010 was a good year, in fact better than expected twelve months ago. The market rebound and improved programme performance has been particularly encouraging,” said Mr Enders, Airbus chairman and chief executive officer.

Boeing, Airbus’ sole true rival in the global airliner market, won 530 orders and delivered 462 planes last year.

Airbus said its aircraft production set a new company record for the ninth year in a row, and said that the value of its new orders exceeded €63 billion at list prices.

“With plenty of challenges, especially in our development programmes, we’ll have to work hard to further improve and also make 2011 a successful year for Airbus,” said Mr Enders, briefing reporters at his Toulouse headquarters.

“This is the result of strong airline demand for new and more eco-efficient aircraft,” he said. “We respond to our customer’s requests by introducing the right technologies at the right time as per the launch of the A320neo.”

The A320 series of small airliners is one of Airbus’ most successful models, and the “neo” version has new engines designed to boost fuel efficiency.

South Korean flag carrier Korean Air announced that it would take delivery of five Airbus A380 superjumbos this year, with the first flight scheduled for June.

The airline said the A380 service between Incheon International Airport outside Seoul and Tokyo’s Narita would start on the morning of June 1, with the plane departing for Hong Kong once it returns from Narita.

It said in a statement the service would be expanded to Bangkok in July once the second aircraft arrives. The third A380 would launch a service to New York from August, and the fourth A380 to Los Angeles in October.

“The introduction of the superjumbo aircraft is expected to increase passengers from China, Japan and East Asia transferring to the US and Europe, accelerating Incheon International Airport’s goal of becoming a global aviation hub,” it said.

The airline, which placed its first order for the double-decker Airbus planes in 2003, said five of the 10 A380s it has ordered would be delivered by the end of 2011 and the rest by 2014.

South Korea’s second biggest carrier Asiana Airlines announced this month it would buy six A380s in a deal worth $1.8 billion, for use on routes to Europe and the US.