Airbus delivers 626 aircraft in 2013

Airbus concluded 2013 with a strong performance in December, adding bookings for 211 aircraft that covered the full product line from its single-aisle A320 Family to the double-deck A380.  The month’s 64 deliveries maintained Airbus’ sustained pace of new jetliner handovers in 2013, bringing total aircraft provided to customers during the year to 626.
Leading the month’s orders was Emirates Airline’s firm contract for 50 additional A380s – an acquisition announced at the Dubai Airshow in November and subsequently firmed up during a visit by Tim Clark, the carrier’s President, to Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, France. 
Sales milestones attained as the result of December’s new business included surpassing the 2,600 order mark for A320neo (new engine option) jetliners (reaching a total of 2,610), exceeding 300 bookings for A380s (bringing the volume to 304), and topping 1,300 orders for A330s (totalling 1,313 aircraft).

Also in the widebody category during December, AirAsia X signed for 25 more A330-300s – the largest A330 order received by Airbus in a single purchase agreement.  Four A330-200s were acquired during the month by an undisclosed customer, while Air Caraïbes ordered three A350-1000s.

For Airbus’ single-aisle product line, an unnamed customer’s order for 60 A320 Family jetliners in December consisted of seven A319s, 13 A320s and seven A321s in the CEO (current engine option) version; along with eight A319s, 12 A320s and 13 A321s in the NEO configuration.  Another undisclosed customer signed for 40 A320 Family aircraft (composed of 13 A320ceo and 27 A320neo versions), while a third unidentified customer placed an order for 20 A320neo jetliners.

Also in the month’s A320 Family activity was Turkish Airlines’ order for seven A321neo aircraft; the transaction by Z/C Aviation Partners One, LLC for one A319ceo; and an ACJ320 corporate jet acquisition by an unnamed customer.

Taking cancellations registered during December into account, Airbus completed 2013 with total gross order bookings for 1,619 aircraft and net bookings totalling 1,503 for the 12-month timeframe – both representing industry records in unit numbers and value.

Airbus’ deliveries for December involved 48 A320 Family aircraft, 13 A330s and three A380s.  The 626 total aircraft provided to 93 customers in 2013 was the highest rate for Airbus, coming in above the previous year’s delivery total of 588.

Based on overall order and delivery activity in 2013, Airbus ended the year with the highest-ever industry-wide backlog – 5,559 aircraft – confirming the company’s market leadership in meeting customer expectations for both the single-aisle and widebody categories.